In Toni Morrison's graphic portrait of racism and psychological distress, The Bluest Eye, young Pecola Breedlove faces challenges too big for anyone her age to handle. His constant internal battles against racism and personal hatred take a heavy toll on his fragile childhood. Contrary to what one might initially believe, Pecola's parents appear to perpetuate these feelings rather than alleviate them. Morrison, through chapters dedicated exclusively to the past lives of Pauline and Cholly Breedlove, allows the reader to take an in-depth look at the situations and difficulties that Pecola's parents had to face growing up; In this way, it's clear that the domestic violence and social issues plaguing the Breedloves are entirely cyclical. Because of these problems, it is inevitable that Pecola will in turn have to deal with not only her own social problems, but also the ongoing problems of her parents. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To fully understand the issues that relentlessly hurl themselves at Pecola, one must first examine the life and times of her parents. His mother, Pauline, also had a less than perfect childhood. When she was a child, Pauline stuck her foot on a nail, causing her great physical and psychological pain. The incident "saved her [Pauline] from total anonymity." It is said that “The wound left her with a crooked, archless foot that fell as she walked…” (Morrison 110). Because of her impediment, Pauline learned interesting ways to keep herself occupied and somewhat isolated from the outside world; one could potentially view these actions as a sort of coping mechanism. One of these methods included flawless organization of objects by color, size, shape and a number of other attributes. In this way, Pauline unknowingly conveys a message to the reader about her life: she desires order and structure to accommodate the unusual circumstances she faces. The unfortunate event she dealt with as a child actually guides her as an adult as well. Interestingly, her adult career is about cleaning and keeping things tidy. As a housekeeper, it is her job to maintain the families' homes. When working in the homes of white families, Pauline is actually at her most comfortable state. She makes sure everything in the house is as perfect as it can be: “Mrs. Breedlove’s skin shone like taffeta in the reflection of white porcelain, white woodwork, polished furniture, and bright copper” (107). The incident involving the shoemaker is a prime example of the abuse and neglect that Pecola must contend with on a daily basis: "In one gallop she (Paolina) was upon Pecola, and with the back of her hand she knocked her to the ground" ( 109). It's clear from the maternal side of Pecola's parenting equation that problems were sure to arise in her life. The father's side of this equation is just as troubling as the mother's, if not more so. The story of Cholly Breedlove's youth is one of abandonment, bad luck, humiliation and total emotional chaos. As a child, “his mother wrapped him in two blankets and a newspaper and placed him on a garbage pile near the railroad” (132). After this incident, Cholly was raised by his aunt Jimmy, whom he loved and hated at the same time. Cholly was greatly affected by Aunt Jimmy's death. Just like Pauline, her sense of organization and structure was distorted after this tragedy. It is also during his aunt's funeral that Cholly begins to develop his problems with the opposite sex. Here he meets Darlene, who plays an all too important role in Cholly's emotional downfall. Both yes.