Like Geraldine and Pauline, Soaphead Church is another example of
how the worship of whiteness and cleanliness can deform a black life
. His mixed blood gives him a false sense of superiority, which he maintains with delusions of grandeur.
What is Soaphead Church’s birth name?
Soaphead Church: Born
Elihue Whitcomb
, he received his nickname, “Soaphead Church”, for his hair and profession, and has proclaimed himself to be “Reader, Adviser, and Interpreter of Dreams.” He is a “light-skinned” West Indian failed preacher who hates all kinds of human touch.
What does Soaphead mean?
Soaphead is the
novel’s quintessential dirty old man
. … Just as Pecola
Why is Soaphead an appropriate name for Soaphead Church?
He is called “Soaphead”
because he uses soap bubbles as a hair pomade
. … The people that come to Soaphead Church’s office look for the power of God but do not understand that God’s power comes from love.
Why does Velma leave Soaphead?
At seventeen, Soaphead Church meets a woman named Velma, and marries. She is drawn to his meticulous habits and lack of humor, as she desires to introduce him to the pleasure and joy of life. After two months of marriage, however,
Velma realizes that she will never change him, and leaves
.
Does Pecola actually get blue eyes?
When Pecola is finally granted her wish for blue eyes, she receives it in a perverse and darkly ironic form.
She is able to obtain blue eyes only by losing her mind
. Rather than granting Pecola insight into the world around her and providing a redeeming connection with other people, these eyes are a form of blindness.
Who is Mr Soaphead in The Bluest Eye?
A
light skinned West Indian man
, Soaphead Church is a self-proclaimed misanthrope. After failing as a preacher, he deems himself a “Reader, Adviser, and Interpreter of Dreams”, and provides counsel to community members.
Who gives Pecola blue eyes?
One day, Pecola visits and asks
Soaphead
to give her blue eyes. Soaphead is sympathetic. He knows he can’t do such a thing, but he tells her to give some meat to the dog. If the dog reacts to the meat, he tells Pecola, she will get her blue eyes.
How does Mr Yacobowski see Pecola?
Yacobowski looks at Pecola,
his eyes draw back
, as if he sees right through her. Pecola notices a complete lack of human recognition in his eyes and recognizes it as a trait that exists in the eyes of all white people she’s encountered. She assumes Mr.
Why does Darlene hate Cholly?
We learn that Cholly hated Darlene only
because his subconscious knew that directing his hatred towards the white men would have consumed him
, and while having an explanation does not make the action any less inexcusable, we are told the emotions and thoughts that lead him to rape his own daugther.
How are Claudia and Pecola different?
Like Pecola,
Claudia suffers from racist beauty standards and material insecurity
, but she has a loving and stable family, which makes all the difference for her. Whereas Pecola is passive when she is abused, Claudia is a fighter. When Claudia is given a white doll she does not want, she dissects and destroys it.
What type of man is Cholly?
Cholly defines himself as
a “free man”
because not only does he function on the periphery of society as other blacks are expected to, but he also lives outside the society of the black community and is the constant source of their gossip.
What do blue eyes symbolize to Pecola?
To Pecola, blue eyes symbolize
the beauty and happiness that she associates with the white, middle-class world
. They also come to symbolize her own blindness, for she gains blue eyes only at the cost of her sanity. The “bluest” eye could also mean the saddest eye.
Why did Pecola’s mother beat her?
Pecola’s mother beat her
when she found out what happened
, and Cholly run’s away. Some community members believe Pecola is to blame for the horrible situation. Some believe she should be pulled out of school. Others hope the baby dies.
Who dies in The Bluest Eye?
The flowers refuse to bloom, and Pecola’s baby dies when it is born prematurely.
Cholly
, who rapes Pecola a second time and then runs away, dies in a workhouse. Pecola goes mad, believing that her cherished wish has been fulfilled and that she has the bluest eyes.
What do Claudia and Frieda do in an effort to save Pecola’s baby?
She thinks that wanting Pecola’s baby to live is a way to counteract everyone else’s love of white dolls and white little girls. … Claudia and Frieda
decide to help Pecola by praying and by giving a sacrifice; they will give up their seed money and plant the rest of the marigold seeds
.
