“Recitatif” by Toni Morrison Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

The story “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison is about the times when racial discrimination was already not so frequently and vividly observed but when the color of the skin was still crucial for some people. The main characters of the story are the two girls, Roberta and Twyla and the ambiguity of their race is what the story relies upon. They both stay at the shelter which, strange as it may seem, they consider not very bad: “People want to put their arms around you when you tell them you were in a shelter, but it really wasn’t bad.” (Charles H. Rowell, p. 422). Twyla is the narrator of the story and she tells about the girls’ lives in the shelter as well as afterward. Though both of them are children united by the common displeasure – the necessity to stay in the shelter when both of them have mothers, a number of conflicts because of the difference in their skin color arise throughout the story.

What should be mentioned above of all is the girls’ first meeting which started with the first realization of the girls’ being different. Roberta was already in the shelter when Twyla was brought there and by seeing a white girl in the room Twyla felt disgusted and disrespect to her at once: “The minute I walked in and the Big Bozo introduced us, I got sick to my stomach.” (Charles H. Rowell, p. 422) This is proof of the fact that racial views were imposed on the society by its members themselves as the child raised in the family of whichever skin color already had certain stereotypes regarding the people who were different. For instance, Twyla’s mother repeatedly told her that white people “never washed their hair and they smelled funny.” (Charles H. Rowell, p. 422).

Secondly, the conflict due to the racial factor arises when the girls meet some years later. Both the girls had changed by that time. Nevertheless, Twyla recognizes the friend of her childhood whereas Roberta, being ashamed of having a dark-skinned friend even if it was long ago, pretends that she does not care about her: “I was dismissed without anyone saying goodbye, so I thought I would do it for her.” (Charles H. Rowell, p. 427). Twyla had very unpleasant feelings after this meeting and she remembered this insult very distinctly. Though being kids the girls first felt an aversion towards each other they became best friends but as they became grown-ups, everything seemed to have changed. Later, discussing this meeting with Twyla, Roberta told her that she was ashamed to show her attachment to Twyla because her friends would not approve of her relations with a black woman.

And finally, the conflict which can be observed throughout the whole story is the situation with Maggy, a woman who worked in the shelter’s kitchen who once fell in the orchard, and none of the children being there, including the girls, called for help. Later, Roberta tried to prove to Twyla that she was the one who pushed Maggy, and Twyla who didn’t remember much of this story still tried to deny it after which Roberta reproached Twyla for remaining the same black girl as she has always been. At the end of the story the situation clears up and it turns out that Roberta was just lying to Twyla and in fact, nobody kicked Maggy, she fell by herself.

In conclusion, it should be added, that “Recitatif” is a story with deep sense and it touches on an important problem of race discrimination in the twentieth century. What distinguishes it from other stories on this subject is that it describes how the discrimination affected the lives of two little girls rather than the events which took place in that period of time.

Works Cited

Charles H. Rowell. Ancestral House: The Black Short Story in the Americas and Europe. Westview Press, 1995.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2021, October 14). "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison. https://ivypanda.com/essays/recitatif-by-toni-morrison/

Work Cited

""Recitatif" by Toni Morrison." IvyPanda, 14 Oct. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/recitatif-by-toni-morrison/.

References

IvyPanda. (2021) '"Recitatif" by Toni Morrison'. 14 October.

References

IvyPanda. 2021. ""Recitatif" by Toni Morrison." October 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/recitatif-by-toni-morrison/.

1. IvyPanda. ""Recitatif" by Toni Morrison." October 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/recitatif-by-toni-morrison/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. ""Recitatif" by Toni Morrison." October 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/recitatif-by-toni-morrison/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1