Racism within African American Communities in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Paradise

This essay compares two African American communities were intra-racism is prevalant. In The Bluest Eye it is the darkest skinned blacks who are subjected to racism from both whites and fellow blacks. This leads to racial self-loathing and a complete lack of self-esteeme. Every African American in the community is affected by the colour hierarchy. The one who is most affected is Pecola. She is a little black girl who prays for blue eyes. She thinks that if she can obtain the very symbol of whitness then all her problems will go away. The roles are reversed in the all black community depicted in Paradise. There the darkest skinned blacks have formed an midnightskinned aristocracy called the 8-rock. At first the new community truly seemed like a paradise. Sadly it all comes crumbling down due in large part to the intra-racism that is prevalent in the town of Ruby. The citizens of Ruby repeat the same mistakes as the white majority. The 8-rock have in fact become what they were trying to escape. It is obvious in both communities how the citizens have internalised all the hate they have been sujected to. It is that hate that corrodes their self- esteem and makes them pic up where the white racists left off.Validerat; 20101217 (root