Love deficiency is a key facet in describing Cholly and Pauline’s relationship. At first, when Pauline met Cholly, she was happy that someone finally noticed her. This was a form of relief for Pauline because Cholly took time to captivate her and made her feel alive. Cholly acknowledged that Pauline had a bad leg and to him the bad leg was something unique. Morrison writes that Cholly, instead of ignoring her infirmity, pretending it wasn’t there, to Cholly it seemed like something special and endearing (Morrison 116). This indicates that these two couple were in love and appreciate others faults and that Pauline was happy that she had finally gotten love.
This relationship took a swift drastic change when the couple moved to Ohio. Moving into the city, Pauline struggles to fit in the society. Thus, she is forced to rely on her husband more for help. Pauline struggles to be part of the normal society but she cannot make her feel like failure. When she turned to her husband for help and support for her well-being, she is blown with her husband’s mockery (Morrison 117). Pauline feels a sense of loneliness because her husband, Cholly, pulls away from the relationship. The fact that Cholly does not support Pauline in her day to day life, she is faced with tribulations and becomes saddened by the fact that she is lonely. This is a form of love deficiency experienced by the couple in that Cholly is not by Pauline’s side when Pauline needs him.
In conclusion, it is clear that Pauline and Cholly is a happy couple at first in that Cholly pays attention to Pauline who is marked as the outsider because of her foot condition. In the long run, the couple is not happy because Pauline has to endure physical and verbal abuse from her husband. She no longer feels desirable to the one person who had assimilated her despite her condition. This relationship is love deficiency in that Cholly does not help the wife adapt to the city. However, they both share a sex intimacy, which makes their relationship work for a long time.
Works Cited
Morrison, Toni. The bluest eye. New York: Plume Book, 1994. Print.
