This chapter shows more violence and the unsupportive community the people belong to, still using comparisons to put themselves above one another to come out on top. It shows their truly selfish nature to not want to be like the “low life” african americans, instead identifying as colored people to escape the negative connotations.

This chapter continues to show how the community doesn’t help each other or support each other, but instead bring each other down. Here specifically, the theme of violence is displayed through the interaction between Pecola and a boy named Jimmy. Jimmy uses Pecola’s pain as a source for entertainment and laughter. This is displayed when depicted, “Junior was laughing and running around the room clutching his stomach delightedly. Pecola touched the scratched place on her face and felt tears coming.”(pg 90). These hateful actions show Junior is lacking discipline, authority, and entertainment. They also show Pecola is extremely vulnerable and has a hard time learning from her previous mistreatment, which only leads to more violence.

The chapter starts off with describing an ideal black girl coming from a small town. They take care of themselves and get rid of any “funkiness” which to me, seems like anything that stands out. She is caring of others and does not enjoy sex along with only feeling affection for a cat. This woman was then described as “Geraldine” and she has a son named Junior. She took care of Junior and soon enough, Junior realises that his mother only feels affection for the cat and not him. Knowing this, he tortures the cat by swinging it around on its hind legs (which is absolutely terrible and I personally wanted to punch this kid in the face) and goes on to bully kids on the playground. Well, such an instance happened with Pecola and he lured her into his home and would not let her leave. Pecola started to be overwhelmed but was soon soothed by the blue-eyed cat. Junior, knowing his hate for the cat already, tortured it. Pecola tried to save the cat, but was too late and Geraldine comes home and Junior tells his mother that Pecola killed the cat.

Now I believe that blue-eyes could also relate to affection alongside with beauty.

This passage is describing what appears to be a specific kind of colored woman. It describes the care they take in their appearance and their homes once married. It seems very generalized, but gives itself substance when it speaks of one such example. It talks about how they aren’t much interested in sex, and just use it to procreate. They seem almost disgusted by it, and not very interested in trying to fulfill their needs. It then talks about how little they care about the child they have as well. The mother it describes who lives in the neighborhood neglects her child’s emotional needs, and pays more mind to her cat, which is the only one she truly loves. This results in a mean child who abuses the cat and other kids, mostly girls. Junior, the child depicted, lures Pecola into his home and hurts her, then scares her. When his mom gets home, she blames Pecola, and she is made to leave in the cold. The mother, while being black herself, is very racist. She sees some colored people as below others, and doesn’t even recognize the fact that they are colored, she refers to them as a slur. She only lets her own child play with white kids, even though he is mixed himself. 

This chapter was very upsetting and made me feel bad for all parties involved. It outlines a specific type of African American woman and follows with an introduction to a woman who fits that type. The woman who is named Geraldine cares very much about her appearance and that of her home. She is married to a man named Louis and has a son named Junior, but the only true affection she shows is toward her cat. As a result, Junior tortures the cat out of jealousy. One day Junior starts picking on Pecola and eventually convinces her to come into his house by telling her he has kittens. When she enters, Junior starts throwing the cat and Pecola tries to save it, but Junior then throws it into the radiator, killing it. At this time, Geraldine enters the home and Junior blames Pecola for killing the cat. Pecola is insulted by Geraldine, who only lets Junior play with the “upper class children.” I felt bad for Geraldine because her life has left her unable to show or receive affection, which ultimately results in Junior’s bad behavior. Pecola is also, again, mistreated and made feel like she is worthless

In chapter 5, the main topic is about a certain african american women. She is schooled and married to take care or her family. My first impression of this woman is that she is not happy in life. The only joy that she shows is joy or affection towards the household cat. The effect of her showing only affection towards the cat is her son becoming extremely cold towards his mother and the cat. I was surprised by what action were unfolded by Junior showing Pecola the family cat. I never saw those events coming. I feel bad for everyone involved besides Junior, he is a terrible child.

Looking into this chapter, we read the description in detail of a certain type of black woman. Someone who comes from a small town tin the south, has loads of natural beauty, and cares deeply about her appearance. It seems like later in the story this might be a woman the audience is going to hate. Although everything about her seems so innocent, sweet, and perfect it can also be very misleading.

This chapter is a very disheartening and disturbing chapter for me. I love animals more than a lot of other things in this world so reading about Junior abusing and mistreating this cat was just really not fun at all. This chapter deals with explaining a family and the background behind them. The specific family focused on in this chapter is made up of the father, Louis, mother, Geraldine, and son, Junior. They always keep their house tidy and the mother makes sure the family is clean and happy. The type of family introduced here seems to focus on the mother being the one who keeps the clothes looking nice and the house clean and the family members fed but she also does not get much happiness or enjoyment from anything other than her cat. The loving animal is adorable and is not typically a messy companion. Geraldine gives a lot of affection and attention to the cat which makes her son Junior very angry. At a young age he realizes that no matter how well taken care of he is, his mother doesn’t seem to feel for him what she feels for the cat. Once this realization sets in, he gets urges to hurt the cat. He beats and abuses this helpless animal. Pecola enters this chapter by, in a way, being another one of Junior’s victims. He forces Pecola to hang out with her and come over which results in Pecola paying attention to the cat which obviously makes Junior pretty angry. He whips the cat around and ends up blaming it on Pecola. Geraldine then yells at Pecola and calls her names. Junior clearly has very harsh feelings towards his mother’s emotional neglect which causes him to become violent and angry at anything in his path.

The chapter talks about different towns, eventually speaking on the women of town. The women are described being able to keep a house tidy, like they’re all maids. It then describes a relationship of full functionality and 0 love, citing that the women don’t have boyfriends, indication no passion. The women keep the house clean for a husband they don’t love and have passionless sex for the full purpose of child consummation. Then the child is born and not met with any love either, the wife and mother, Geraldine, only caters to physical needs, nothing emotional. As a result, the child, Junior, grows mean, starved for affection. He then goes on to bully Peccola and abuse his mother’s cat. A depressing chapter.

This is not the only part of the book so far that has made me feel uncomfortable but it is the first time it truly bothered me. For as long as I can remember, I have always only been bothered by when animals get hurt or dies. When Junior beats the cat it just does not sit right with me. I know it is important because it illustrates how Junior is taking out his frustration and jealousy on the cat, but it just really bothers me. Maybe Morrison does this on purpose. It would have been easy to have Junior bully another child, but I think that the beating of a cat would have a bigger impact with readers. Cats are animals that do not do much to bother others. They are easy to love. By having Junior beat the cat opposed to another child shows just how frustrated Junior really is. It shows how misplaced his frustration is.

Chapter 5 starts off very different from the previous 4 chapters. It is not as dark and creepy but it is more weird and confusing. The chapter starts of with the narrator talking about different women who bought fruit from a man sell it from a wagon. I find this wired and do not see how it relates to the over all plot of the novel. Also, in the story the narrator talks about Geraldine and her son Louis Junior and his cat. Louis gets jealous that his mother gives the cat more attention than him, so be beats his cat. I understand the jealous but why does he feel the need to take his rage out this way. Then when Pecola asks to see the cat Louis throws the cat at her and it scratches her, yet comes and cuddles her after. This then makes Louis even more jealous and upset. Also, I find it weird that also every family in the story has some sort of violence and depression.

This chapter is kind of confusing to me a first. I didnt really understand the beginning of it. However, my attention was caught when the book intrduces Geraldine, her son Louis Junior, and their cat. I find it weird that Junior beats the cat. I know that he does this because is jealous of the attention given to the cat and not him by his mother, but I still think it is an odd way of handling his jealous. It’s not the poor cats fault. As the chapter proceeds, JUnior once again abuses the cat during an interaction with Pecola. When she asks to see the cat, he throws it at her face. The cat scratches Pecola and she begins to cry. However she is quickly comforted by the cat as it rubs against her a d cuddles her. This angers JUnior and I gues makes him jealous. He grabs the cat and throws it against the wall. This again confuses me. It is not the cats fault and he keeps tsking his feelings of anger and jealousy out on it.

This chapter starts off very weird, describing the image of women from certain towns, using scenarios like “Such girls have bought watermelon and snapbeans from the fruit man’s wagon” and “They sing second soprano in the choir, and although their voices are clear and steady, they are never picked to solo” rather than just plain words to describe them, giving these women more of a 3D image rather than just a plain flat one. Then it gets into the men that marry these women and the “flaws” or things that they don’t notice about said women that men normally wouldn’t desire, mainly how the woman would hate or be repulsed by having intercourse with the man she had married, partially because he cannot fulfill her sexual desires. And in this section, the pronouns start switching from plurals and “they” to “she”, sort of narrowing down onto one individual in said group of women mentioned prior. Then it talks about the individuals relationship with a cat, getting more and more specific with naming a specific magazine and article in said magazine, and then talking about the one child that she beared, named Junior. This is all finally revealed to be about a specific person named Geraldine, who lives with her son Louis Junior and husband Louis in Lorain, Ohio. Geraldine gives all her affection to the cat instead of her son, which causes Junior to despise the cat, like an older sibling despises their younger sibling who gets all the attention. He ends up luring Pecola into his house and throwing the cat at her, in an attempt to get the cat to maul her, however the cat ends up being nice to her. When he sees this, he swings the cat around by the leg, and then gets attacked by Pecola and tosses it against the wall, killing it. His mother comes home and blames the death on Pecola, because to his mother, Pecola looked like a “nigger” and acted like one, so she was easily blamed just due to her apearance, which is very sad.