The Bluest Eye is often characterized by critics as a bildungsroman, a novel that explores the journey of characters growing into adulthood. Critic Susan Blake has noted that the book is "a microscopic examination of that point where sexual experience, racial experience, and self-image intersect." For Pecola, this transition is deeply troubling. When she begins menstruating, Morrison uses this pivotal moment to underscore the absence of love in Pecola's life. Upon hearing from Frieda that she can now conceive, Frieda mentions that love is crucial for that to happen. In one of the novel's most poignant scenes, Pecola asks Frieda, "How do you do that? I mean, how do you get somebody to love you?" Frieda falls asleep without responding, hinting at Pecola's loveless future. Pecola's mother rejects her, and her father sexually assaults her, resulting in the birth and subsequent death of her child. Additionally, Pecola's awareness that society's beauty ideals starkly contrast with her own appearance hastens her transition into adulthood. She eventually descends into madness after her baby's death, finding solace in the fantasy that she possesses not just blue eyes, but the bluest eyes of all.

In contrast, Claudia and Frieda MacTeer's path to adulthood is more hopeful. Although they share many experiences with Pecola, their family's capacity to face challenges with love and stability ensures they will grow into well-adjusted adults. For example, when Mr. Henry, the family's boarder, behaves inappropriately with Frieda, Mr. MacTeer evicts him, even going so far as to throw a tricycle at him and fire a gun in his direction. On the other hand, Cholly Breedlove not only fails to protect Pecola but is the one who abuses her, projecting his self-loathing and frustrations onto her. Unlike Pecola's family, Claudia and Frieda's family is resilient, able to navigate adversity through love.