“The Bluest Eye” (post 1) by Toni Morrison (post 10): Pecola demonstrates the self-hypnotic process by which traumatized children create alternate personalities.

I have just started Toni Morrison’s first novel, “The Bluest Eye.”

Pecola, once again, is witnessing a very frightening, violent fight between her parents.

“She struggled between an overwhelming desire that one would kill the other, and a profound wish that she herself would die…” (1, p. 43).

“Please, God,” she whispered into the palm of her hand. “Please make me disappear.” She squeezed her eyes shut. Little parts of her body faded away…Her fingers went, one by one; then her arms disappeared all the way to the elbow. Her feet now. Yes, that was good. The legs all at once…Her stomach…Then her chest, her neck. The face…only her eyes were left…” (1, p. 45).

I don’t know what will happen in the rest of the novel, but the above seems to be a description of the way that a traumatized child would develop multiple personality.

Once the regular self completely “disappears,” an alternate personality, who can better cope with the situation, can take over. From then on, whenever Pecola gets frightened, she could instantaneously switch to the alternate personality. When the frightening situation ends, she would switch back.

Since the regular personality would have “disappeared” for the period of time that the alternate personality was out, the regular personality might have a memory gap for that period of time.

But I have just started reading, and I don’t know if any kind of multiple personality scenario will play out in the rest of the novel.

1. Toni Morrison. The Bluest Eye [1970]. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 2000.