The Sins of the Father are Felt by the Family

We've talked in class briefly on the naming of a character, especially relating to Pecola Breedlove. The fact that Pecola means sin, or stain, and the last name "Breedlove" can be interpreted as 'sin breeds love'.

However,  The Bluest Eye does not mean for this to be interpreted as the cute or dainty kind of love, but as its more sinister demeaning form: lust. Pecola could be seen as the "sin" of her father Cholly, because of the sacred bond between parent and child he breaks by having sex with her. The act and Pecola's name reminded me of the story in Paradise Lost where Satan fathers the manifestation of Sin from his head. Though in Paradise Lost Sin does not breed love but Death with Satan her own father. We are also told at the beginning of the novel that none of the marigolds grew the following year indicating, Pecola's child will die at or near birth.  This mean's Pecola--Sin, has also spawned death. A worse fate would have been the child to survive and follow the same shameful path of his father and grandfather.

Much like Satan is rejected by God who he considers his father, Cholly is spurned by his, and both are obsessed with the concept that they are "free" to do whatever they want. By blaming others such as Darlene or their parents for how they act, both have perverted what free-will stands for: you can make your own choices, but you must take responsibility for the consequences of your actions,  .

The Breedlove family also seems to be cursed much like Oedipus' family from Greek mythology. His father's rejection of him causes a rippling effect and the repercussions are felt by all members of the family and even future generations: Oedipus murders his own father, beds his mother who commits suicide, his incest-born sons slay each other, and his daughter hangs herself. Though it is cruel, their suffering and deaths are necessary to cleanse the stain of sin that they had no control over. Similarly Pecola suffers the the insults of Geraldine, Maureen, and the boys, the attack from a cat, and the guilt of accidentally killing a dog.