Question

What traumatic event leads to Pecola’s mental breakdown?

• A. Being bullied at school
• B. The death of her mother
• C. Her father's rape and pregnancy
• D. Losing her home in a fire

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Her father's rape and pregnancy

Pecola’s psyche collapses after her father, Cholly, rapes her. She becomes pregnant, and the trauma coupled with societal rejection leads to her mental illness .