Pecola believes that having blue eyes is the key to being beautiful and finding social acceptance.
Pecola prays for "the bluest eyes" because it represents "the answer" to the mystery of her life. Throughout the narrative, Pecola faces social rejection. A significant part of this repudiation is because of her appearance. Pecola cannot understand why she is deemed "ugly" and why she experiences such an intense level of social marginalization. She ends up viewing herself...
Pecola believes that having blue eyes is the key to being beautiful and finding social acceptance.
Pecola prays for "the bluest eyes" because it represents "the answer" to the mystery of her life. Throughout the narrative, Pecola faces social rejection. A significant part of this repudiation is because of her appearance. Pecola cannot understand why she is deemed "ugly" and why she experiences such an intense level of social marginalization. She ends up viewing herself the way the same way the world views her. It is for this reason that she wants blue eyes:
It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and knew the sights—if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different.
Blue eyes are associated with beauty. She internalizes the social standards that dictate beauty, norms that say "blue eyes" represent attractiveness. In order to be as loved like Shirley Temple, Pecola yearns for blue eyes. She believes that if "those eyes of hers were different" or if they could be seen as "beautiful," her life would be different. She believes that blue eyes would give her the belonging that she craves. In Pecola's mind, this desire forms the basis of her prayers because it is the answer to all of her questions.
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