How did Geraldine Get So Mean

I think that there are several reasons that Geraldine is so mean. The primary reason is fear. She sounds like she was afraid to set goals because she might not get those goals. She was afraid to do anything different from the normally accepted. She went to extreme lengths to not stand out and in doing so, made absolutely sure she took no risks. This led to her to be disappointed with her life. She took this out on people whenever the opportunity presented itself. Pecola just happened in at a bad time and she caught the wrath of a cold and barren person.