5

Pecola Breedlove is a typical girl who wants to look pretty like Mary Jane and Shirley Temple. However, everyone in the novel calls her ugly and insults her because of her skin color. Therefore, Pecola wants to have blonde hair, blue eyes, and white skin. Throughout the novel, Pecola is a vulnerable girl because of racial harassment, For example, in school; black boys pick on Pecola because of her appearance. Also, Pecola’s parents neglect Pecola and Sammy alone in their apartment. On the other hand, Claudia is an outstanding girl in the novel unlike Pecola. Claudia accepts who she is and her identity of being black and ugly. Besides that, Claudia hates white dolls because of racist beauty standard. Claudia is a brave  girl because she protects Pecola without hesitation; for example, Claudia and Frieda fight back when the black boys attack Pecola for being ugly. Lastly, both Claudia and Pecola live in the same community and they are poor. Also, both of them agree that they are ugly and unattractive because they don’t have blue eyes, blond hair, and white skin. What factors contribute to their dominant traits?  Both of the girl views things differently in what is beauty. For example, Pecola wants to follow the trend of what is beautiful in a white society, yet Claudia feels differently from Pecola because of inequality.