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Essay / Analysis of Cholty in The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Because it comes at the expense of the other characters, Cholly's “dangerous freedom” (160), although it frees him from rules, expectations and the ethics of society, strips it of all morality. and emphasizes his bestial qualities. Like an animal, Cholly is only interested in satisfying his own needs and desires and is willing to do whatever is necessary to fill those bodily voids. His simple interest in “his own perceptions and appetites” (160) prevents him from sympathizing with the other characters and reinforces his subjugation to his lustful desires. As a result, Cholly's animalization allows her to be capable of horribly raping her own daughter. This is illustrated when Cholly is overcome by a repulsive memory of Pauline from "the first time he saw her in Kentucky" (162), when he sees Pecola "[change] her weight and [stand ] on one foot while scratching his back. calf with its toe” (162). The irony of Cholly's admission that "he wanted to kiss [Pecola]—tenderly" (163)—in which the narrator employs an unexpected combination of "kiss," an action that is often associated with a lack of connection or of intimacy, and "tenderly", an adverb that can be used interchangeably with "gently" and "lovingly" – resembles his inability to repress his wild desires while revealing