Kavalier & Clay Part 1 - Metamorphosis
The Bluest Eye – The Dolls
"I destroyed white baby dolls" (22) Claudia makes her hatred for all things white, (conventionally) beautiful, and Shirley Temple-esque very clear in the novel's opening section. In many ways we as readers empathize with Claudia. We, like her, hate the idea of conforming to externally imposed standards of self-valuation. No one likes (or at least no one ought to like) being told who to be. However, this negativity surrounding Claudia only breeds more of its kind within her. Claudia's hatred for Shirley Temple is born from a (well-founded and legitimate) envy of her dancing with Bojangles. She "destroyed white baby dolls" as a result of this hate. And she even expresses a desire to do the same to "little white girls" (22) and to hear their "fascinating [cries] of pain" (23). This may seem like an extreme sentiment: and it surely is. However, that does not make its examination and understanding any less legitimate. If anything, it greatly i...
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