Racism in "The Bluest Eye"

page 71
Junior used to long to play with the black boys. More than anything in the world he wanted to play King of the Mountain and have them push him down the mound of dirt and roll over him. He wanted to feel their hardness pressing on him, smell their wild blackness, and say "Fuck You" with that lovely casualness . . . Bay Boy and P.L. had at one time been his idols. Gradually he came to agree with his mother that neither Bay Boy nor P.L. was good enough for him. He played only with Ralph Nisensky, who was two years younger, wore glasses, and didn't want to do anything. More and more Junior enjoyed bullying girls. It was easy making them scream and run . . . The nigger girls he did not pick on very much. They usually travelled in packs, and once when he threw a stone at some of them, they chased, caught, and beat him witless. He lied to his mother, saying Bay Boy did it. His mother was very upset. His father just kept on reading the Lorain Journal.

Questions:
1) Why does Junior tell his mother Bay Boy beat him up? Is it just that he's too embarassed to admit it was a group of girls or is Bay Boy an easy scapegoat in her eyes?
2) Why does Junior's father have no reaction to his son being beaten by (supposedly) another boy.

Comments:
It's obvious from this excerpt that Morrison is showing that children learn from their parents. Even though Junior at once time worshipped the dark-skinned boys, the opinions of his mother finally turned him against his own friends. Later, he even blames Bay Boy for beating him up when Bay Boy had nothing to do with it.

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