Compare and Contrast: Pecola and Claudia

In the novel, The Bluest Eye, Pecola and Claudia have many similarities and differences. Pecola, a black eleven year old girl, has it hard on her because she is always tormented and bullied by other people. She felt she wasn’t pretty without blue eyes (39). Later, she moves in with the McTeer family where she meets and makes friends with a girl named Claudia, who is also black. During the time they stayed together, there were noticeable differences and similarities between both the two girls and even their families. Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl growing up in the early 1940s, was always called “ugly” by mostly everyone in her life. From her classmates at school to her own mother, Pecola was repeatedly put down. This led her to become ashamed of herself, wanting blue eyes and lighter skin (39). Pecola’s parents, Cholly and Pauline Breedlove, also didn’t get along with each other. They were physically and verbally fighting all the time. Pecola believed that if she can be physically attractive, her life would be a lot better. Claudia, who is around the same age as Pecola, is the main narrator of the novel and the sister of Frieda MacTeer. Claudia is sort of like a role model figure throughout the novel. Unlike Pecola, Claudia doesn’t want to be popular and likes the way she looks. Instead of wanting to look like Shirley Temple, Claudia likes to be herself and is proud of who she is (19). For example, Claudia got