Loose tooth/Pauline

Page 116.

“And then she lost her front tooth. But there must have been a speck, a brown speck easily mistaken for food but which did not leave, which sat on the enamel for months, and grew, until it cut into the surface and then to the brown putty underneath, finally eating away to the root, but avoiding the nerves, so its presence was not noticeable or uncomfortable. Then the weakened roots, having grown accustomed to the poison, responded one day to severe pressure, and the tooth fell free, leaving a ragged stump behind. But even before the little brown speck, there must have been the conditions, the setting that would allow it to exist in the first place.”

This begs the question: what caused Pauline’s tooth to fall out, and why does it happen right in the middle of a Jean Harlow film?

I think, on one hand, her tooth’s internal decay is symbolic of the idealized poison she has indulged herself in at the movies. The images educate her on the standard of beauty, and tell her how men and women should conduct themselves. Pauline even equates the movies to a religious experience, suggesting that she has finally found “the Presence” she yearns for in her youth; “the black-and-white images came together, making a significant whole--all projected through the ray of light from above and behind.” When she looses her front tooth, she is forced to come to terms with her inability to ever become a Jean Harlow, which re-enforces her despair. A loss of identity is implied here, and she must choose how to cope with the unrealistic expectations that popular culture has established, as well as her inward assumptions of inferiority. Pauline chooses the role of the martyr and servant to a white world, which she fantasizes about still, even though she recognizes her limitations in it.

On the other hand, I think this passage is a pretty clear example of naturalism (perhaps, more specifically, determinism) in The Bluest Eye. Both Pauline’s cavity and her foot wound are forces beyond her control that seem to seal her fate. Her race, gender, and marriage appear to be doomed from the start by the racist, sexist, and beauty-obsessed world she inhabits.

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Discussion question: In this novel, it sometimes seems as though the only free will the characters have lies with how they decide to cope with rejection and judgment. How do you view Pauline’s and Cholly’s actions against Pecola? Couldn’t they have acted differently?