Exactly what does it mean to be self-reliant? To be reliant on one's own capabilities, judgment, or resources maybe? Well, it means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To some it means to struggle through one’s circumstances. To some it means ensuing one’s dreams. And yet to others it means following tradition. Although each connotation has a different motive for being self reliant, all of those motives sprout from character’s hardships. Self-Reliance was imposed upon Pecola in The Bluest Eye. She had no choice but to be self-reliant. Pecola was abandoned, a victim of racism, and raped by her father. She had nobody to turn