Bluest Eye Lesson Plan

Why does Claudia dislike Shirley Temple? What does this indicate about her character?

When Frieda and Pecola bond over their shared love of Shirley Temple, Claudia says internally that she hates Shirley Temple. It is not because Shirley is white or pretty. It is because Shirley, as a pretty white girl, gets attention that Claudia feels should belong to her and girls who look like her. “I couldn’t join them in their adoration because I hated Shirley. Not because she was cute, but because she danced with Bojangles, who was my friend, my uncle, my daddy, and who ought to have been soft-shoeing it and chuckling with me. Instead he was enjoying, sharing, giving a lovely dance...