1).  How does the religion in The Bluest Eye act as a perpetuator of idealized white beauty?

-         references to the Virgin Mary

-         descriptions and painting of Jesus

2).  Discuss the relationship between Cholly and Mrs. Breedlove.

-         relentless devotion to each other

-         constant physical and verbal abuse

3).  How does the white men’s violation of Cholly as a boy correlate as a cause and effect relationship to Cholly’s current relationship with women?

-         Cholly is robbed of his manhood; must gain it back, even years later

-         Eternal resentment of women

4).  What is Morrison trying to convey in the dialogue between Pecola and her unborn child?

-         Pecola’s desperate drop to insanity

-         Only inside look into the musings of Pecola’s mind

5).  What do the numerous references to flowers represent?

-         rebirth or lack of rebirth

-         only universal image of beauty

-         compared to houses; flowers have roots; a home is a person’s roots

6).  What is Morrison trying to accomplish with the pedophile’s letter to God?

-         uses letter to add depth to the character / explain him

-         uses his recollections of pure white race (inbreeding) to portray the falseness of white beauty

-         only character that sees Pecola as an innocent child