In the Defense of Banned Books: Why ‘The Bluest Eye’ Should Remain on the Shelves
“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison is currently banned in Davis County and Washington County after being defined by these districts as “pornographic and indecent material” and “taken as a whole it does not have serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value” based on the definitions provided in Utah code HB 374 and HB 29. According to HB 29, this book only needs to be banned by one more school district in order for it to be banned state-wide. This novel is so much more than the sex, and the important topics it discusses give it immense literary and artistic value.
AN IMPORTANT NOVEL ABOUT BLACK EXPERIENCE
The novel discusses important topics, such as the black experience. Throughout the novel, Morrison breaks down seemingly trivial but deeply meaningful aspects of the black experience to fully explain the depth of the concept. In pages 17-18, and 33-37, Morrison explains the importance of ownership and contextualizes it to the situations of poverty that black Americans are forced into. She explains how being able to own a home and fill it with items solidifies their existence, and how the relief of having a place to call their own—when they know the other situation is having no guarantee of a place to live—provides meaning to the way they care for their homes. She explains how when there is no guarantee of a place to live, then the ownership of items becomes important as a way to solidify their existence. In pages 48, 87, 92, and 191, Morrison breaks down the image black Americans hold in the eyes of white Americans, how this image is split into black Americans v. colored people, and how these images form a very narrow, biased perspective that prevents white Americans from truly seeing them. In page 125, she demonstrates how this narrow, biased perspective has negatively impacted the treatment black Americans receive in terms of medicine and healthcare. In pages 73, 118, and 138, Morrison explains how this image is internalized by black Americans, and how it affects their interactions with their own people.
The internalization of the image forced upon black Americans is also closely discussed in the context of the female experience and beauty standards. These standards are set by society based on the types of women they choose to feature in movies and advertisements. This is something women pick up on quickly, for Morrison writes, “She was never able, not after her education in the movies, to look at a face and not assign it some category in the scale of absolute beauty, and the scale was one she absorbed in full from the silver screen,” (p. 122). After being set by popular culture, these standards are then reinforced by the treatment each woman receives, (p. 45-46). Then, they internalize it. “They had looked about themselves and saw nothing to contradict the statement; saw, in fact, support for it leaning at them from every billboard, every movie, every glance,” writes Morrison, (p. 39). Morrison then explains how this turns into thoughts of being lesser and negatively impacts their self-esteem. “We were lesser. Nicer, brighter, but still lesser,” (p. 74).
THEMES OF FEMALE EXPERIENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT
Another central topic discussed, closely tied to the female experience, is sex and sexual assault. This aspect of the novel is the reason it is being banned in Utah schools. While descriptive, it isn’t explicit. In fact, if the reader isn’t mature enough, these scenes will go right over their head. However, what they will take away from it are the lessons to be learned. They will learn how men can be deceiving, and that it is a warning sign to their viciousness. They will learn how women are socialized into being convinced that they want it, and that society will turn any sign of confusion into invalidation. They will learn that society will label them as “dirty” and “ruined,” yet won’t assign these labels to the ones whose undeserving hands touched them. They will learn how it can be used as a bargaining chip, how even the potential for it to be good can be enough to make them stay in an abusive situation. They will learn that, although inexcusable, hurt people hurt people, and that lack of accountability and misdirected anger from unresolved trauma can cause an immense amount of damage. Most importantly, they will learn that it is not all bad—that there is beauty and love to be found within it.
On top of all the important topics discussed in this book, it is also a masterclass on how to write. Morrison deconstructs each scene in such a way that allows any reader, no matter the background, to insert themselves into the experience and view it with a transparent eye. When she writes about the black experience, she clearly defines and plays out each situation so that the reader can experience that mindset. For example, this excerpt about the outdoors:
“There is a difference between being put out and being put outdoors. If you are put out, you go somewhere else; if you are outdoors, there is no place to go. The distinction was subtle but final. Outdoors was the end of something, an irrevocable, physical fact, defining and complementing our metaphysical condition. Being a minority in both caste and class, we moved about anyway on the hem of life, struggling to consolidate our weaknesses and hang on, or to creep singly up into the major folds of the garment. Our peripheral existence, however, was something we had learned to deal with—probably because it was abstract. But the concreteness of being outdoors was another matter—like the difference between the concept of death and being, in fact, dead. Dead doesn’t change, the outdoors is here to stay,” (p. 17-18).
Deconstructing and analyzing this single word, outdoors, alongside the reader allows them to understand the depth of this experience. This builds up their worldview and allows for the reader to become more empathetic towards those around them.
Despite the eloquence of Morrison’s writing, these topics are still difficult to face. However, while she is deconstructing these experiences for the reader, she is also working through and analyzing it with them. This is often the most difficult part for those who have lived through these experiences in real life. Morrison acknowledges this, writing, “There is really nothing more to say—except why. But since why is difficult to handle, one must take refuge in how,” (p. 4). While there is a main story, there is no main point of view. This allows Morrison to work through all aspects of how, which brings about a well-rounded understanding of why. On top of this structure, the passages within the book resemble wisdom that would be found within the walls of a therapist’s office. This in itself becomes healing, especially for those who are hesitant about therapy.
This novel has become classic literature, and its depictions of sex do not appeal to the prurient interest. For these reasons, “The Bluest Eye” should remain on school library shelves.