Mrs. Breedlove: Violence as a Form of Expression

In the familial structure of a black family, like Pecola Breedloves, violence is ingrained in daily life. Violent arguments between the mother and father in the household are described as normal occurrences. "The unquareled evening hung like the first note of a dirge in sullenly expectant air," (41). An evening where a fight didn't occur was thought as strange and not following the normal routine of daily life. The violence in the lives of these families were "themselves routine," (41).

Mrs. Breedlove displays violence over her children and over her husband as a way for her to show her dominance and superiority over them. Her life as a black, poor, housekeeper working for a white family leaves little room for times that she can show superiority and dominance. With her children however, she is able to establish her superiority in violent manners. This includes whipping her children even when they do nothing wrong, like in the instance where Pecola first menstruates. Mrs. Breedlove thrives in the instances when she can show control over her children, therefore she wont stop to ask questions in case a logical reasoning that would prove a beating unnecessary may come up.

In the traditional family setup the man, or husband, is positioned as the head of the household with ultimate control and rule over the others residing in his home. This is true in Mrs. Breedloves situation even though financially she is the breadwinner and caretaker of the household, while her Mr. Breedlove, Cholly, is a lazy drunkard. Whenever Cholly comes home drunk, Mrs, Breedlove uses this as a opportunity, for he is in a mentally weakened state, to display control over Cholly in violent means and purposefully instigates arguments. Pages 40-44 of the Bluest Eye, we see Mrs. Breedlove, ordering an intoxicated Cholly to fetch her coal, though we are told from the outset that it wasn't necessary for Cholly to get the coal, and moreover, it was probable that one of her children would eventually be asked to retrieve it anyways. Still, Mrs. Breedlove wakes Cholly up by throwing a pan of cold water on his face. What ensues is a violent argument that Morrison describes as being necessary for both of their well-beings. For Mrs. Breedlove these fights were a vital part of her identity.

"The tiny, undistinguished days that Mrs. Breedlove lived were identified, grouped, and classes by these quarrels. They gave substance to the minutes and hours otherwise dim and unrecalled. They relieved tiresomeness of poverty...In these violent breaks... she could display the style and imagination of what she believed to be her true self. To deprive her of these fights was to deprive her of all the zest and reasonableness of life. Cholly, by his habitibual drunkeness and orneriness, provided... the material they needed to make their lives tolerable." (41-42).

This reminded me of the "problem that has no name" put forth in the 1960s by Betty Friedan in the Feminine Mystique. Summed up, Freidan proposes that women who dedicate their lives solely to being housewife leads to an unfulfilled life. She interviews countless women that say they lead lives of no purpose, that are boring and routine, and that they have no outreach for creative expression. I can easily imagine Mrs. Breedlove, the fictional character in Morrison the Bluest Eye book, being interviewed by Friedan. Her violent outbursts could possibly be the black woman's alternative Valium that white, middle class woman during this time period was known to take in order to deal with the daily monotony of life.

Through the descriptions of Mrs. Breedlove violent actions, Toni Morrison makes a point that violent tendencies can be the result of structural oppression. I can help but wonder that if Mrs. Breedlove was able to live a life separate from taking care of house, be it her own or that of white families, would she still treat her children with such dismissal and punishments. The poverty she lives in means that she to take a job taking care of upperclass white people. This job gives her an insight into the life she will never have because she is poor and white. This could easily lead to frustration and despair. I believe she innately loves her children, but the poor conditions of her life mean that there is no time for her to express feelings of love towards her children. If the Breedloves were white and middle class, the opportunity for displays of affection might be more readily available than moments to express violence and anger.