ENGLISH INTERNAL ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTERS

PECOLA BREEDLOVE AND MS. LEELA BENARE IN THEIR
RESPECTIVE SOCIAL SETUP.

NAME : PRACHURYA SAHU

CLASS : FIRST YEAR
COURSE : BA LLB

DIVISION : E
PRN : 19010125427
INTRODUCTION

As society evolves, it creates certain ideals and standards, which is expected by every member
of the society to dutifully adhere to. These ideals intrude and dictate every forum of an
individual’s life dominating not just social behavior but also mutating feelings of self, leaving
behind an insecure and debilitated individual who seeks only for social validation. It is,
therefore, at the altar of these set standards that people sacrifice their uniqueness and
individuality for the sake of fitting into such a society and escape being labeled an outcast.
‘The Bluest Eye’, set against the backdrop of the 1940s United States of America highlights a
society, pungent with racial discrimination and white supremacy. This aspect is explored
through the story of young Pecola Breedlove, a poor African American girl, trying her best to
find a way to be loved. Plagued by the ill-treatment extended by her family, ignorance by
society, she gave in to the social ideal of accepted beauty.
Similarly, in “Silence! The court is in session.”, the ideals set are related to traditional roles
and gender identities in society. Through the play, an ideal woman is identified and tried to
enforce. Further, motherhood is designated as a sacrosanct and any mutation of the same is
regarded as an unholy sin. With such a background, a fake trial is held, making a mockery of
the protagonist, Ms. Leela Benare.

SIMILARITIES

• Societal Humiliation :-

In “The Bluest Eye” Pecola goes through immense social abuse and humiliation due to
her dark skin- with boys of her class tormenting her, Geraldine calling her “black”, the
grocer looking through her and completely ignoring her and her betrayal by Maureen.
Further, she is impregnated by her own drunk father which just further increases the
public slur and abuse that Pecola faces.
In “Silence! The court is in session.”, Ms. Leela Benare is mocked and humiliated in a
mock trial that is set up just to scorn at her and ridicule her in public for her apparent
immorality in lieu of her unmarried pregnancy. Even though the trial is supposed to be
just theatrics, it strikes a chord in Benare’s heart. She feels persecuted and is forced to
have her private life questioned before everyone.

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• Dysfunctional family: -
In “The Bluest Eye” Pecola experiences physical and material obliteration of family
and home. At the first instance, her father burns down their family home, forcing his
young daughter to be sent away and live with a different family. Even after reuniting,
Pecola’s parents, struggling with their own demons, subject her to a series of neglect
and abuse. Pecola inherits the myth of ugliness and unworthiness from her parents and
being party to their violent fights, she also conceives her desperate desire to have “blue
eyes” so that people saw her and she saw others in a different, more positive light.
Ms. Leela Benare has to experience the breaking down of family structure when she
falls in love with her uncle. At the tender age of fourteen, she fell for the praises and
love her uncle bestowed upon her and wanted to marry him. But he betrayed her trust
and ran away. This heartbreak drives her to attempt to commit suicide. But this instance
colored her idea of love which had future repercussions.
• Sexual Exploitation: -

Pecola is heinously raped by her own father causing the father/daughter relationship
between Cholly Breedlove and Pecola to be extremely violent and hateful. This rape is
the very first instance of sexual experience of Pecola and it goes on the influence her
feelings of self-worth and beauty. She experiences sex as violence and abuse rather than
an act of love.
Ms. Leela Benare also becomes a victim of sexual exploitation when she is used by
University Professor Damle for her body. Benare is enamored of his intellect and
wisdom but Damle, being married and having five kids just uses her for fulfillment of
his physical needs and refuses responsibility of her. This goes on to deeply affect her
understanding of what love, making her feel unworthy and unlucky in love.
• Non-conformity to ideal societal standard: -

In both the books, an ideal standard of identity condoned by society is evolved. In

Pecola’s case, it is a question about the overarching beauty standards of white skin, blue
eyes and blond hair. Therefore, the dark skin and dark eyes of Pecola are scorned at,
considered unclean and ugly by all members of the society even Pecola herself. This
initiates a toxic cycle of reducing self-esteem finally combusting into madness and
insanity.
In case of Ms. Leela Benare, the ideal is behavioral. As a woman living in India in the
1960s, she is subjected to patriarchal idea of how a woman should behave in society.

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 The society at the time wants a woman who is meek, shy and submissive. There is an
automatic assumption about Benare’s promiscuity, with her being an unmarried, free,
financially independent woman. She tries to fight for her rights to lead her private life
on her own terms but is labeled an immoral woman and her character is completely
assassinated. So deep is their prejudice that Benare is finally fired from her job as a
teacher because of this. This prejudice can be seen in the lines by Mrs. Kashikar,
“Should there be no limit to how freely a woman can behave with a man? an unmarried
woman? No matter how well she knows him? Look how loudly she laughs! How she
sings, dances, cracks jokes! And wandering alone with how many men, day in and day
out!”

DIFFERENCES

• Support system: -

Pecola has a narrow but strong support system in the form of her two friends- Claudia
and Frieda Macteer. They were her defiant supporters and tried their best to let of some
of her instilled feeling of ugliness. Unlike the rest of the society, they did not spit upon
her pregnancy but accepted her for what she was. They willingly sacrifice the money
they had saved for buying a bicycle to buy marigold seeds as a sign of hope for Pecola’s
unborn baby. They represented hope and affection in her life when society and even her
own parents shunned and abased her.
In complete contrast, Ms. Leela Benare has no people to support her in her troubled
times. All the men she approaches for marriage end up betraying her in court by
revealing private details of her life to the public at large, aiding in the disrespectful
scrutiny of the fake trial.
• Response to oppression: -

Both the characters are subjected to intense oppression and prejudice at the hands of
the members of the society. However, there is a difference between their responses to
the same. Pecola timidly embraces the beauty standards set by society and tries to
conform to the same. She truly and passively accepts the beauty of white skin and
intensely desires for the same. This gullible desire, to finally fit into society, leads to
her own downfall causing her to lose her mental stability.

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 Ms. Benare, in contrast, is a steadfast and assertive woman who stands up for herself.
She was rich in individuality and wanted to preserve the same. She vociferously voiced
against her subjugation to a humiliating trial and even till the end, she defends her right
to have a private right. She is a symbol of an empowered woman, struggling to break
free from societal barriers.

CONCLUSION

Pecola and Ms. Leela Benare are both forced to be victims of set social identities that is
enforced on them, whether it is blue eyes and blond hair or a traditional Indian woman. In both
cases, their deviation is frowned upon and they are both forced to conform to such standards.
While Pecola is constantly belittled, disregarded and abused because her dark skin is
considered to be ugly and dirty, Ms. Benare is scrutinized and morally policed because of her
unmarried pregnancy and illicit relations with a married man. Further similarity is seen in their
struggle to survive a broken family. However, there are many important differences that must
be highlighted. In the face of social pressure to conform, Pecola is seen to give in to this
pressure embracing the standards and trying to aspire to achieve the same, along with a strong
support system. On the other hand, Ms. Benare tries to stand her ground and resiliently fight
for her rights although she is completely alone in this endeavor to survive. Ultimately, both of
them end up with a losing suit against societal oppression and are broken individuals discarded
by society.

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