“Recitatif” by Toni Morrison and “Bliss” by Katherine Mansfield have distinct storylines and highlight different social questions. Despite this, these stories have one common feature, illusory of the vision of one of the characters. While getting acquainted with the stories, the reader questions the hero’s subjective perception; in the end, one is convinced of falsehood. Protagonists of these stories unconsciously mislead themselves, provoking the reader to reflect on the ambiguity of the events described deeply. Through careful analysis of each story, this essay will demonstrate that the protagonists’ journeys are not from ignorance to knowledge but from one set of delusions to another. In both stories, the narrators’ perspectives are unreliable, which casts doubt on the integrity of their revelations.
When thinking about the illusory of the thoughts and beliefs of the characters, first, it is necessary to outline the plot and primary themed lines briefly. Thus, Twyla and Roberta met several times over two decades. Every time finding each other in different situations, these meetings are filled with entirely different emotions. The story is narrated by the person Twyla, and its illusory becomes apparent during the story. The Bliss story describes the events only one evening, but no less saturated with emotions than the previous one. The main character is Bertha, who pleases herself with illusions in the impulse of unexplained exaltation. Ultimately, the story final does not confirm that the main character knows the truth.
In “Recitatif,” the protagonist, Twyla, experiences a moment of clarity when she realizes that her memory of the times spent with another main character, Roberta, is incorrect. Mixed emotions have a significant impact on her at that moment. Although enlightenment does not happen immediately, she feels confused and questions reality. However, her revelation does not necessarily result in a better understanding of herself or her past. The following passage from the story exemplifies Twyla’s journey from one set of delusions to another:
“Remember Maggie? The day she fell down and those gar girls laughed at her?’
Roberta looked up from her salad and stared at me. ‘Maggie didn’t fall,’ she said. ‘Yes, she did. You remember.’
‘No, Twyla. They knocked her down. Those girls pushed her down and tore her clothes. In the orchard.’
‘I don’t – that’s not what happened.’
‘Sure it is” (Morrison 12).
Furthermore, Twyla’s limited perspective and unreliable memory cast doubt on the integrity of her newfound knowledge. Based on her memory, Twyla is convinced she was not present when mocking Maggie. Roberta’s accusations confuse and distress Twyla, and the dialogue ends tensely. Thus, the illusions are not completely dispelled because Twyla needs to find confirmation of the truthfulness.
In “Bliss,” the protagonist, Bertha, experiences a moment of realization when she recognizes the sexual attraction she feels towards a woman at a dinner party. However, her revelation does not necessarily result in a better understanding of herself or her sexuality. The following passage from the story exemplifies Bertha being baffled with her feelings:
” What was there in the touch of that cool arm that could fan—fan—start blazing—blazing—the fire of Bliss that Bertha did not know what to do with? ” (Mansfield 7).
Through the analysis of the text, the essay will argue that Bertha’s journey is not from ignorance to knowledge but from one illusion to another. Therefore, she needs help comprehending the essence of the feelings and emotions of the people around her. For example, at the beginning of history, she thinks about the reciprocity of her husbands’ feelings without realizing his infidelity:
“Harry and she were as much in love as ever, and they got on together splendidly and were really good pals” (Mansfield 5).
Her newfound awareness does not necessarily lead to self-acceptance or change. Furthermore, the unpredictable nature of Bertha’s perception and the use of imagery suggests that her realization may be a fleeting moment rather than a true awakening. Bertha’s realization is based on a perception colored by her own emotions and desires rather than an objective understanding of her sexuality. The reader cannot understand when the main character is aware of reality and if she is aware of it at all. Instead, based on emotions, not a conscious mind, Bertha is prone to experience exaggerated feelings.
In both stories, the narrators’ perspectives are unreliable, undermining their revelations’ integrity. In “Recitatif,” the narrator’s revelation about the racial identity is a crucial moment that exposes her prior ignorance and underscores the theme of racial ambiguity. Morrison presents the reader with two main characters, Twyla and Roberta, who are both biracial, but their races are never explicitly revealed. This lack of clear racial markers creates a sense of ambiguity that underscores the theme of race as a social construct. Twyla’s revelation about racial identity comes near when they recall Maggie, the mute girl from the orphanage where she grew up:
“She wasn’t black,’ I said.
‘Like hell she wasn’t, and you kicked her. We both did. You kicked a black lady who couldn’t even scream” (Morrison 16).
This realization that she had been mistaken about Maggie’s race is painful for Twyla, underscoring her ignorance and prejudices. Own system of beliefs can be deceptive, and judgments are in vain. Roberta seeks to project some of the guilt to make it easier to experience her own mistakes. The need to determine the race in this story is a marker of identity. Therefore, the author seeks to show that the characters’ actions are based on prejudices. Having realized Maggie’s race, they can remember the events. The ambiguity of memories confuses the main characters and the reader, leaving the solution to the question open:
“Oh shit, Twyla. Shit, shit, shit. What the hell happened to Maggie?” (Morrison 20).
Similarly, in “Bliss,” Bertha’s revelation about her sexuality exposes her prior ignorance and delusion about her marriage and relationships. Bertha’s discovery that her husband, Harry, is having an affair with Pearl, a close friend of hers, is a critical moment in the story. Bertha’s reaction to this revelation is one of confusion and shock, as she had previously been oblivious to Harry’s infidelity. This realization that she had been living in a delusion about her marriage is painful for Bertha, underscoring her naiveté and lack of self-awareness. The similarity of the ending of the two stories is traced. The author does not allow the reader to get rid of illusory beliefs. Accordingly, this story ends with an open question, encouraging the reader’s reflections:
“Oh, what is going to happen now? ” (Mansfield 12).
The leading feature of the stories’ final is the need for completeness. The characters do not get rid of their illusions but puzzle even more. While Twyla and Bertha experience painful revelations about themselves, it is essential to note that these revelations are not necessarily transformative. In both stories, the protagonists may have gained some knowledge about themselves and their lives, but they have not necessarily grown or changed significantly. In “Recitatif,” Twyla’s revelation about her own racial identity is a moment of painful self-awareness. Still, it must be made clear that she has grown or changed. She continues to harbor prejudices and biases towards people of different races, as evidenced by her description of the woman remembers “wasn’t pitch-black, I knew, or I would have remembered that” (Morrison 17).
Similarly, in “Bliss,” Bertha’s discovery of her husband’s infidelity does not necessarily lead to any growth or change on her part. She needs clarification and clarity at the end of the story, with no clear path forward. At the beginning of history, the pear tree symbolizes the prosperity and development of the main character. Bertha seeks to show it to Miss Fulton, symbolically as if talking about her feelings. Analyzing the awareness of the heroine of her husband’s infidelity, the reader needs clarification on how she perceived the truth. Bertha continues to perceive illusive reality. To confirm, this pear tree “was as lovely as ever and as full of flower and still” (Mansfield 12). In this way, the story’s main character seems to consciously want to live in ignorance because it makes her feel safe. The reader does not comprehend the actual ending of the story since it is not entirely completed in terms of plot.
This ambiguity about whether the protagonists in these stories have learned and grown is a crucial theme that underscores the idea that the revelations they experience may be just as misguided as their original self-understanding. In “Recitatif,” for example, the ambiguity surrounding Twyla’s racial identity underscores the idea that race is a social construct often based on flawed assumptions and prejudices. Similarly, in “Bliss,” Bertha’s discovery about her husband’s infidelity underscores the idea that individuals own biases and assumptions often shape their perceptions of the world around them. These perceptions may not always be accurate or reliable as expected.
Speaking about the illusory perception of certain life events, it is worth thinking about the root causes of this phenomenon. Human misjudgments often arise subconsciously and are imprinted in the foundations of the brain. These attitudes are rooted so firmly and deeply that realizing their falsehood can lead to considerable stress. That is why the moment of awareness is stretched and ambiguous in the stories “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison and “Bliss” by Katherine Mansfield. The authors skillfully depicted the inner struggle of each hero. While analyzing the stories, the reader can question his own beliefs and prejudices. Interestingly, sometimes these beliefs are so familiar that attempts to refute them by other people can provoke the manifestation of uncontrolled emotions. In the story “Recitatif,” the finale is accompanied by hopelessness and helplessness:
“Roberta lifted her hands from the tabletop and covered her face with her palms. When she took them away she really was crying.” (Morrison 20)
From a psychological point of view, people partially forget events that traumatize them mentally or emotionally. As mentioned earlier, in the story “Recitatif,” the main character cannot recall the exact events and emotions associated with them. With this in mind, it is quite understandable why it is difficult for the girls to come to terms with past events. The scene of Maggie being bullied was psychologically devastating and prejudiced. Additionally, in Roberta’s mind, memories of desire were replaced by memories of action:
“And you were right. We didn’t kick her. It was the gar girls. Only them. But, well, I wanted to. I really wanted them to hurt her. I said we did it, too. You and me, but that’s not true. ” (Morrison 19)
Psyche plays a cruel joke with the main characters, as they confuse themselves in the awareness of events and emotions. Thus, moving from illusions to uncertainty, the main character does not fully understand reality and, guided by prejudices, can only guess the truth. Moreover, the reader expects the reality to be revealed and some enlightenment about the situation. Instead, illusions are dispelled, but the truth is not shown. The main characters still need clarification; the only difference is that they now know more information. Internal changes challenge the personality and emotional stability of the characters.
The main character of the story “Bliss” appears as an exalted person with her head in the clouds. Her illusory perception of her life is not surprising but looks balanced considering her personality. Reading the lines of the story, one needs to clarify whether her feelings for the woman are mutual, whether they even exist, and whether Miss Fulton understands them. This story’s relationship between the wife and the husband could be more straightforward. They seem perfect, but perfection may also be a figment of Bertha’s warped imagination. Finally, the husband’s infidelity is also in doubt, as the main character is prone to exaggerating her emotions. Bertha does not seek to dot the dots and prefers to live from one illusion to another.
The narrator is usually perceived as trustworthy and truthful to the reader. Interestingly, in the considered stories, the main protagonist is not one whose actions and emotions are understandable. Instead, they have misled not only the reader but also themselves. As mentioned earlier, the cause of erroneous judgments can be a peculiarity of the psychological state. However, on the other hand, the main characters could deliberately choose this path to protect themselves from future emotional trauma. Thanks to the open ending, the reader can envision the logical answers and conclusion of the story.
In conclusion, “Recitatif” and “Bliss” feature protagonists who experience revelations that expose a prior ignorance or delusion. While these revelations may be painful, they do not necessarily lead to growth or transformation. Instead, they underscore the idea that our own biases and assumptions often shape our perceptions of the world around us and that these perceptions may not always be accurate or reliable. Whether one trusts the narrators and accepts that the protagonists have learned something valuable from their experiences, these stories serve as cautionary tales that remind us to examine our preconceptions. Consequently, every human action and emotion must be controlled so prejudice does not play tricks.
Works Cited
Mansfield, Katherine. Bliss. 1918, pp. 1-12. Web.
Morrison, Toni. Recitatif. 1983, pp. 1-20. Web.