Racial difference is a matter of being taught versus learned. There are no boundaries to what one person can do or accomplish, when it comes to the color of one’s skin and the effects it has on others. In the short story “Recitatif”, by Toni Morrison, Morrison challenges the assumptions of race by identifying the effects of self-identification and its social effects by using racial generalizations. Morrison uses depict descriptions and events to give the reader an idea of which character is who by not directly stating their racial ethnicity. The story goes through a life cycle of American history, The Civil Rights Movement, backgrounding two girls who end up in an orphanage and go their separate ways in life and deal with the outcomes in their own separate ways. As told in the beginning of the story, Twyla, who’s point of view the story is told in, is in the orphanage due to her mother dancing all night and Roberta, who is the counterparty of the story, is in the orphanage because her mother is sick. The girls are a product of their environment and their actions and decisions give the reader an idea of who is which in regard to their race and the reasoning behind their actions.
In the story, the ambiguous use of racial cues leaves the reader puzzled on which character is of what race. All while giving clues by using broad descriptions. Immediately from the beginning of the story, we get the idea that one character is black and the other is white. Who is which, Morrison doesn’t exactly mention. That’s an open identification that’s left for the reader to decide. Immediately, the taught racial expectations are shown when the two girls are introduced and Twyla says, “My mother won’t like you putting me in here” (Morrison, Recitatif). She was referring to rooming with a person of another race and the negative response she would receive if her mother had known it was happening while she was at the orphanage. As mentioned in Toni Morrison’s essay, Playing in the Dark, the first section mainly criticizes the conventional ways of that time period by discussing how people of African American descent were categorized or looked upon in American literature. Another instance in the story that shows the use of taught ambiguous racial statements would be when the two mothers actually meet. This setting showed the negative effects and how the actions of the parents can be different from the child’s, making the statement, racial tension is taught. On this instance, Roberta was attempting to introduce her mother to Twyla’s mother, but her actions spoke well for themselves. She just looked and rudely walked off. The idea of these instances put the timing of the setting into the early 1950s. This was a time of racial segregation and racial tension which was a major thing.
Another way that the cycle of the story goes through American history is when they two girls, Twyla and Roberta cross paths in later years. This time period would be a comparison to the social class and its effects on social behavior. Twyla was working at the Howard Johnson restaurant. When Twyla noticed Roberta, she immediately noticed a change. The way Morrison describes Roberta’s appearance would recollect the images of being late 1960s to 1970s. a time of Drugs, hard music and expressing yourself. “Her own hair was so big and wild I could hardly see her face” (Morrison, Recitatif), was how Morrison described Roberta’s appearance. As Morrison described the appearance this image gives the reader the image of a party girl and a working-class woman. The way that Roberta and her two-gentleman guest insulted Roberta due to her not knowing who Jimi Hendrix was, showed the social class ladder of the time. In actuality, Jimi Hendrix was a popular African American musician. In a way, the reader can compare the lifestyle of Roberta to the lifestyle of a musician. On the go with no limits. As to where you compare Twyla’s to being an ordinary working-class patron.
The issue of race is constantly toyed with throughout the short story. Morrison leaves no boundaries as to the extent of the racial connections. When Twyla reaches the age of twenty-eight and married, she and Roberta cross paths yet again. This time at the market in the town in which they both reside. Due to the extent of their last encounter at the Howard Johnson years ago, Roberta actually greets Twyla this go around. She too is married. In this section of the story, the reader recollects memories of another character from the beginning of the story, Maggie. Maggie to was a child at the orphanage. Due to Morrison not telling what race the character were all the reader knows about Maggie is that she was couldn’t talk. She was mute. This section of the story shows how the different races have different vies of past events. One event in particular, was when Maggie fell and the older girls at the orphanage laughed. That’s what Morrison described in the begging of the story. As the years passed and memories grown older, the way the two different women remembered the situation changed. According to Roberta, she recalls that Maggie was pushed, which led to the older girls laughing. On the other hand, Twyla, whose view point the story is told in, remembers it in the way of Maggie just fell down. These two views show how the two different races interpreted the incident. Leading the issue on racial effects of childhood incidents. Being that one character is black and the other is white. They will automatically see the Maggie incident in different ways because one remembers something that the other doesn’t.
As the story progresses, Morrison doesn’t hesitate to get to the next meeting of the two women. This time on the matter of education. If the reader doesn’t have a clue to what race which character is, this social effect of racial tension would help. The two women meet again, this time the story is referencing the integration of the local school. Morrison, describes the picketing and angry parents as they chanted and marched about the sidewalks. At first glance, this compares to the integration of Little Rock Central High School. This was a major event in history where a few black students decided to attend an all-white high school. The parents and supporters rallied and picketed as Morrison described in the text. The social effects of this lead to the two women feuding. On different occasions the imagery in the text describes the two women going back and forth with one another. As time progresses the signs that the women were holding as they picketed began to become more individually specific and personal to one another. As mentioned in the text, “Twyla painted a sign in queenly red with huge black letters that said, is your mother well?” (Morrison, Recitatif), in reference to Roberta’s mother. As time progresses and days passed the two women stopped participating in the picketing. Eventually leading to the women parting ways once again for an extended amount of time.
Eventually the two reconnected, but this time it’s a more apologetic setting. They go over their life stories and the actual truth about what happened to Maggie comes out. The black and white issue surfaces and they both see each other for who they are. As the two reconnect, a sense of relief comes off of Roberta as she comes clean on the Maggie situation. She admits that although the events she stated that happened to Maggie didn’t happen, she just wanted to kick her. As the reader reads this, it exemplifies the cause and effect of social change. The integration of neighborhoods, jobs, buildings and school. This shows that change can occur. The black and white violence of the 1970s was very common. The way that those of African American descendants were treated were to the feelings of those of the white people who felt the need to have division. As the story correlates with this, true feelings come out between the two. Twyla admits that although she stated on occasions that her mother stopped dancing, she never did. Roberta also admits that her mother never got well. Altogether meaning that it only takes the act of true honest and kindness to overcome the social effects of the environment around you.
Undoubtedly, Recitatif is primarily based around race. As the background of the story puts two different characters from two different walks of life together, it challenges the assumptions of race by identifying the effects of self-identification and its social effects by using racial generalizations. Morrison doesn’t tell the reader which character is of what race. Roberta could be African American and Twyla could be Caucasian or vice versa. Instead of channeling the attention to the race of the characters, Morrison uses comparisons of real life events to describe the ways and outcomes of each character. Events ranging from social standards in their individual lives to educational rights of their children. All while using the character Maggie as a pun, to mirror the images of the past and how the different races reacted to the event that showed what each race felt and how they reacted. The ways of the past may be a constant reminder, but change is always good.