In Frow’s Interest, Frow explains that identification is done through an incorporation of an objectexternal to oneself, and that selfhood is remnants of what one had liked before. While having this notion in mind, it was interesting to read the part in which Pecola literally eats Mary Jane candies: “Smiling white face. Blond hair in gentle disarray, blue eyes looking at her out of a world of clean comfort. (…) She eats the candy, and its sweetness is good. To eat the candy is somehow to eat the eyes, eat Mary Jane. Love Mary Jane. Be Mary Jane. (…) nine lovely orgasms with Mary Jane. Lovely Mary Jane, for whom a candy is named” (50).

There are multiple layers of identity construction done in this short excerpt. Pecola identifies the stereotypical white beauty as “the” ideal beauty named as Mary Jane, decides to eat and swallow the candy, perceive sweetness in its taste, and proclaims that she not only wants to be like Mary Jane but loves it. The last part in loving Mary Jane seems to bear much meaning than simple admiration, since Pecola expresses eating the candies as “nine lovely orgasms.” Considering that Pecola was subjected to hostile white phallocentric gaze from the candy shop owner, it might be possible to infer that Pecola, by “eat[ing] the eyes” of Mary Jane, acquires her beauty, which is equivalent to neutralizing the hostile white phallocentric gaze. There is metonymical equivalence between avoiding this gaze and experiencing orgasm, being not only unrejected but actively wanted sexually and respected as a part of the society. This orgasm seems to line up with the sweetness aforementioned earlier in the passage, considering that Maureen is evidently more respected and sexually desired, which is emphasized by her capability of eating ice cream (a higher-quality sweet) while Pecola cannot.

Linking back to the Frow text, it seems that Pecola is socially molded into a self-abhorring subject that is induced to dislike others and look up to whites and colored people that resemble whites. It seems like Freud’s explanation of melancholia fits into this part of the book since Pecola is not what she desires to be. As this desire is essentially impossible to be fulfilled, it seems Pecola’s identity will most likely include self-hatred.