Bluest Eye Ending

I think the most interesting aspect of Toni Morrison's book The Bluest Eye is the subtle way it delivers its message about racism. Direct interaction between racist whites and black characters is uncommon in the book. Instead the characters feel and react to societal discrimination and the long lasting effects this discrimination has had on their own families. The main result of this discrimination is a self hatred for their race, which they take out on those they have power over, be it wives, husbands, children, or peers. I think the most effective way Morrison demonstrated the tragic, cyclical nature of this hatred is by delving into the past of Pecola's parents. The way they both acquired this hatred, then reluctantly and helplessly passed it onto their children makes the story personal, and thus more effective in conveying it's depressing message.