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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Prologue Section 2
Explanation and Analysis—Planting Seeds:
Much of Section 2 of the Prologue contains a sustained allegory, in which Claudia tells the story of some seeds she planted with her sister that yielded no fruit:
It never occurred to either of us that the earth itself might have been unyielding. We had dropped our seeds in our own little plot of black dirt just as Pecola’s father had dropped his seeds in his own plot of black dirt. Our innocence and faith were no more productive than his lust or despair.
In this allegorical tale, Pecola's situation is likened to that of the dirt, her father's to that of Claudia and Frieda. Cholly attempted to "sow seeds" on Pecola's barren ground—in other words, he raped her, and that violence could never yield beautiful fruit.
Throughout the novel, Morrison's narrators return to the seed allegory, fixating on the tragedy of Pecola's stagnated growth. The Bluest Eye concludes with Claudia again meditating on Pecola's situation through the lens of allegory:
This soil is bad for certain kinds of flowers. Certain seeds it will not nurture, certain fruit it will not bear, and when the land kills of its own volition, we acquiesce and say the victim had no right to live. We are wrong, of course, but it doesn’t matter.
Claudia comes to the conclusion that some seeds simply cannot flourish in certain soil. Pecola is not at fault for the tragedy of her life, her lack of growth—the environment was inhospitable.
Related Themes:
Chapter 11
Explanation and Analysis—Planting Seeds:
Much of Section 2 of the Prologue contains a sustained allegory, in which Claudia tells the story of some seeds she planted with her sister that yielded no fruit:
It never occurred to either of us that the earth itself might have been unyielding. We had dropped our seeds in our own little plot of black dirt just as Pecola’s father had dropped his seeds in his own plot of black dirt. Our innocence and faith were no more productive than his lust or despair.
In this allegorical tale, Pecola's situation is likened to that of the dirt, her father's to that of Claudia and Frieda. Cholly attempted to "sow seeds" on Pecola's barren ground—in other words, he raped her, and that violence could never yield beautiful fruit.
Throughout the novel, Morrison's narrators return to the seed allegory, fixating on the tragedy of Pecola's stagnated growth. The Bluest Eye concludes with Claudia again meditating on Pecola's situation through the lens of allegory:
This soil is bad for certain kinds of flowers. Certain seeds it will not nurture, certain fruit it will not bear, and when the land kills of its own volition, we acquiesce and say the victim had no right to live. We are wrong, of course, but it doesn’t matter.
Claudia comes to the conclusion that some seeds simply cannot flourish in certain soil. Pecola is not at fault for the tragedy of her life, her lack of growth—the environment was inhospitable.
Related Themes:
