Steven Lara
Dr. Drissi
Eng. 105
11 December 2015
The
Consequences of Neglect on the Development of Children
In
the novels, ”The Bluest Eye” and “Of Love & Other Demons”, child neglect is
a common theme. Both texts display the negative impact that neglect has on the
development of children. The characters Pecola and Sierva are the victims of
neglect, consequently hindering their social relationships and self-esteem. The
results of neglect consist of short-term and long-term effects, which can be
both psychological and physical, on the character and mentality of the child
that can be difficult to remove. This is a serious form of abuse that needs to
be taken seriously and given more attentive care by those within the “home” of
the children. In the novels, “The Bluest Eye” and “Of Love & Other Demons”,
child neglect from Pecola’s and Sierva’s parents alters the way they perceive
themselves and the world around them leading to their individual downfalls, which
also sets an counter-example of what the concept of “home” should be for all
families.
The
character Pecola Breedlove, from Toni Morrison’s novel “The Bluest Eye”, is a
black eleven-year-old girl that comes from an unloving, abusive and neglectful
family. In the beginning of the story
Pecola was placed to live with the Macteer family because her father had burned
down her house and she had nowhere else to go. Claudia Macteer explains, “The county
had placed her in our house for a few days, … until the family was reunited”(Morrison
16). Experiencing separation from her family by the force of an external power
because of an act caused by her father reveals to the reader the unhealthy
condition in which the family exists. Her idea of “home” is now broken and there
is now established boundaries for what a family is to her.
Traditionally,
a mother is the parent who provides unconditional tender, love and care for her
children through sensitivity, understanding and compassion. Although, this
nurturer archetype is absent in this sociological context of the “home” for
Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye”.
Pecola’s
mother Pauline is unaffectionate and abusive towards her and creates distance
for their mother-daughter relationship. In a scene in the spring, Pecola spills
berry cobbler in the kitchen of the house belonging to the white family that
Pauline works for by accident, while also burning herself in the process. According
to Claudia Macteer, “Mrs. Breedlove yanked her up by the arm, slapped her
again, and in a voice thin with anger, abused Pecola directly”(109). An example
of Pauline’s aggression and animosity for her daughter is shown by her abusive
nature and lack of consideration for her daughter’s well being, even after have
cried out and hopped in pain from the burns. Conversely, Pauline comforts the
little white girl who lives there after she begins to cry. Pauline says to her,
“Hush, baby, hush. Come here… don’t cry no more”(109). Pecola witnesses first
hand her mother attending to another girl’s needs of comfort and security more
than her own by her tone, words and demeanor when speaking to her.
Ideally,
the father of the family is supposed to be the protector and guardian of their
kin. Unfortunately, this role is unfulfilled in the Breedlove home and instead
replaced with the infliction of damage.
Cholly
Breedlove does not love Pecola the way a father should. One of the reasons he
could not be the father he needed to be was due to his alcoholism. It is
described that, “Cholly, by his habitual drunkenness” caused him to be violent.
(42). Being an alcoholic drove Pecola away from him and limited the bonding
time necessary for the two to build a strong relationship. It was during one of
his drinking binges that Cholly, “wanted to fuck her-tenderly”(162). The action
of a father raping his daughter is so unnatural and immoral that it inevitably
creates a psychological wound that a child would never be able to heal from.
The
concept of family and “home” for Pecola Breedlove is distorted, fragmented and
undesirable. At a young age she experienced living in another family’s
household and witnessed their love for each other that she did not have for her
own. Even though the Macteer’s treated Pecola with hospitality they would not
be able to fill the void of her family loving her the way a child deserves. Her
unstable relationships with her family would prohibit her from creating healthy
relationships with peers and other people. Her only friends Claudia and Frieda
ended up saying they, “avoided Pecola Breedlove”(205). Pecola desired to be
white with blue-eyes more than anything else. The Macteers, “knew she was fond
of the Shirley Temple cup…to see Shirley’s face” (23). Since her self-esteem
was low due to her ugliness and mother loving a white girl more than her. Pecola
thought that if she had blue-eyes like Shirley Temple, because she was so
popular and praised, she would be loved and wanted. “A little black girl yearns
for the blue eyes of a little white girl”(204). Pecola wanted to be someone
other than herself because she was not happy and had a low self-esteem. She
wanted to be blue-eyed because that was her misconception of beauty. If she was
beautiful then her parents could love her. Her parents’ neglect attributed towards
her feelings of self-inadequacy because they did not acknowledge or accept her
for who she was. Therefore, her continuous pain and suffering, ultimately lead
to her insanity.
Child
neglect is common and can be seen across different nations and cultures. Families
with children of all social classes can be subjected to neglect. Hence, Gabriel
Garcia Marquez’s “Of Love and Other Demons” takes on another perspective.
Sierva
Maria is a twelve-year-old girl from the South American seaport in “Of Love and
Other Demons” that comes from a noble family that does not possess the proper
standards of love and affection that a “home” requires for a child. Her father
the Marquis and her mother Bernarda do not focus on their daughter as a
priority but as an obligation they are forced to deal with. Sierva gets bitten
by a rabid dog in the beginning of the novel, which leads to the unveiling of
the empty relationships of the family. Her father, the Marquis, “thought of
Sierva Maria not as his daughter but as hers alone”(Marquez 23). Her mother,
Bernarda, “knew very well she did not love the girl and the girl did not love
her”(16). Both parents did not want to affiliate themselves with their daughter
even at her tender age of twelve.
Sierva
Maria had a stronger connection with the black slaves that lived in the shack
of her household than her own biological parents. When it was her birthday she
was with the slaves and believed that is when she is, “in her true home and
with her true family”(12). The Marquis had one of the slaves trained to watch
over and take care of Sierva on a daily basis. He delegated upon a slave the
task to, “not to let the girl out of her sight, … treat her with affection and understanding
(27). When the Marquis tried to take
Sierva out of the shack, “the girl resisted when he tried to carry her in his
arms (25). Sierva adapted to the black
culture since she was around them the majority of the time and became able to,
“sing in voices … in the various languages in Africa (12).
The
idea of the “home” is one that consists of love, companionship and belonging
within the family. In “Of Love and Other Demons’ these elements of the “home”
are not found within Sierva’s biological family but with the slaves, abandoning
the typical concept itself.
Sierva
is part of a family that is considered royalty, which in term has reached the
highest status within social class. Being of upper class coincides with
financial stability and certain privileges normal people do not have for
themselves. Ironically, the family lacks stability for the marriage of the
Marquis and Bernarda as well as their relationship with their daughter Sierva. It
would be understandable if Sierva’s parents were busy with other obligations
but the neglect actually starts from her them not liking her. Marquis does not
consider Sierva his daughter and Bernarda claims to not love her. Parents
cannot provide the proper “home” for a child if they do not provide love for
them. Hence, the Marquis assigns the most trustworthy slave to take their place
as caregiver for Sierva and tend to her everyday needs. A child is being
neglected by their parents, if their responsibility is being passed on to
someone else. This grants the opportunity for Sierva to form a connection with
people that are not her real family.
Sierva
assimilates the culture of the black slaves over the time being neglected by
her own parents. Subsequently, developing resentment for her personal culture
and family. Resisting to her father if logical since he had not fulfilled the
role required to have obtained Sierva’s desire to be with him.
Due
to the rabid dog bite, Sierva is finally given attention and receives care from
the doctor. It was believed that she had obtained rabies herself, which in reality
was not the case. In the Marquis, Sierva sold the part to the doctor after
barking in retaliation of her refusal to travel with her him in order to make
her happy. She reacted this way because she did not want to leave her family
amongst the black slaves where she felt belonging instead of her father whom
she despised. The neglect she received
from her parents created the uncooperativeness that eventually lead to the
doctor created problems that were never even there. If she never acted out by
barking, the doctor would have reopened the wound and caused the infection that
ended up killing her.
In
conclusion, support of the thesis through empirical evidence, insight and
awareness has been provided through the characters Pecola Breedlove and Sierva
Maria on the consequences of development in response to child neglect. In the
case of Pecola Breedlove, physical abuse, segregation and lack of acceptance
eliminated her sense of self and distorted her reality. Pecola suffered from
neglect, therefore her needs were not being met in her “home” causing her to
become self-loathing and mentally insane. For Sierva Maria, she was unloved by
her parents and nurtured by outsiders of her family creating a barrier between
them. When it came to communicating with her parents it was almost always
unsuccessful and dissimulating. There was not any chemistry between Sierva and
her parents thus she could not explain the situation of her bite properly
without the Marquis taking extreme measures. As a result of child neglect,
Pecola ended up mentally insane and Sierva ended up dead. Although these are
both extreme cases of result in regards to neglect they are causes. For both
characters the concept and ideology of the “home” was broken and unattained. A
resolution for child neglect in general is to give children more than just the
necessities for survival. Their development depends on the intangibles of
providing a loving and accepting environment for the child to be raised in. If
Pecola were shown acceptance from her parents perhaps she would not have
desired to have blue eyes so passionately. If Sierva felt as close to her
biological parents as she did her slave family maybe she would not have
resisted her father by barking and have lived a long fulfilling life. These are
the possible outcomes if neglect was never to occur for them. Ultimately, child
neglect during the developmental stages can lead to serious psychological and
sociological impairments that can affect that person’s future in a negative
way.
