Passage Analysis from The Bluest Eye

After finishing The Bluest Eye, one passage from the end of the novel was not clear to me so I decided to perform a brief close reading to better understand it.

One of the first meanings that I was able to take away from the passage was the distinctions between certain words that the author uses. Strength vs aggression, free vs licensed, compassionate vs polite ...

I believe that the juxtaposition of these words was intended to highlight how Pecola allowed the girls to feel strength, but did not actually empower them. She may have created feelings of strength but they were really aggression in disguise. Similarly, the shackles that bound Pecola may have inspired feelings of freedom in Claudia, but in fact these feelings were simply substitutes for the true and internal feeling of freedom. In this way, I believe that the author is commenting on the nature of true feelings. Although people may try and use others to empower themselves, it seems that what the author is saying is that true feelings of strength and freedom and compassion can only come from within.