Change In Recitatif By Toni Morrison

Change is something many people are afraid of but must endure at some point in their lifetime. In the short story “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison, the change that occurs in the main characters happens spatially throughout their lives. The story begins in an orphanage where the two girls, Roberta and Twyla, meet. As the characters grow up and journey through life, racial tensions begin to get in the way. It’s these tensions that change the characters over the course of the story, making them more aware of the world around them. In the beginning, Roberta and Twyla don’t seem to notice the problems going on with race around them. When they are in the orphanage neither of them is bothered by the color of other people’s skin. As they start to mature they realize how they are changing, along with the world around them. A place this can be seen in the story is when the two characters get into an argument over the protest for the school. “My arm shot out of the car window but no receiving hand was there. Roberta was still at me sway from side to side in the car and her face was still” (Morrison 143). This symbolizes the how the girls no longer trust each other. They seem to be drifting apart over there own beliefs and opinions on race.

“There was a silence that came down right after I laughed. A silence it was her turn to fill up. With introductions, maybe, to her boyfriends or an invitation to sit down and have a Coke. Instead she lit a cigarette off…” (Morrison 137). This pinpoints how Roberta is changing from someone who once didn’t see race, to a person conforming to the society around her. Between each time period and over the course of the whole story, the characters morals and beliefs separate from each other, causing their friendship to fall