Compare And Contrast Twyla And Roberta In Recitatif

In Recitatif, Morrison introduces her readers to an approach to the initial interpretation of racism made by the readers. By contrasting Twyla and Roberta's appearances, social lives, and occupations, the readers are able to grasp on to the differences of the two characters. After finally meeting since their last encounter, the readers can depict the tone of tension between the two ladies, hinting that the protagonists have changed overtime. Toni Morrison challenges the initial assumption made by the reader on race and racism through the literary device of foil, contrasting the protagonists, Twyla and Roberta. Morrison compares and contrasts the appearances of the characters, making the readers assume the race of the characters. When Twyla

When Twyla approaches Roberta and her two male friends at the restaurant, she describes them as "two guys smothered in head and facial hair" (Morrison 110) who were "smoking" (Morrison 110) with Roberta. One can come to the conclusion that Roberta involves herself with troubled adolescences. Society usually depicts troubled teens as people who have undergone much struggles throughout their lives which causes the readers to believe Roberta is a person of color since minorities face much more hardship in contrast to those of non-color. On the contrary, Twyla surrounds herself with her husband's family, who are evidently older than Roberta's friends. Instead of finding joy in being with friends, like Roberta, she finds comfort in being around her husband's "big" (Morrison 111) and "loud " (Morrison 111) family. The setting of this excerpt takes place during a time where minorities has faced much discrimination and hardships due to their race. Twyla does not face as much trouble as she expresses how she finds peace in her "home" (Morrison 111) whereas Roberta feels pressured to act tough around her troubled friends. Morrison's use of foil of the two protagonists' social lives causes the readers to differentiate the characters based on their hardships due to

The excerpt starts off at Twyla's workplace "Howard Johnson" (Morrison 111) where the readers are introduced to Twyla as a waitress. The readers are instantly informed that Twyla has an occupation where as simultaneously Roberta is introduced as a carefree individual who is on her way to attend a concert. During their reconciliation, Morrison reveal the contrast of the protagonists as Roberta is revealed to prioritize her social life. This is evidently shown though Roberta's interest in "Jimi Hendrix" (Morrison 111), a famous African American musician. This reveals that she is involved and up to date in society. Through her interest, the readers are compelled to speculate that Roberta is of color due to her likings towards African American music. In societal stereotypes, it is common for people of the same race to develop a compatibility and understanding amongst each other. Furthermore, Twyla's "uniform" (Morrison 111) can be used to symbolize order within her life as she is committed to her occupation. However Roberta is found "smoking" (Morrison 110) outside of the restaurant with her friends, revealing her irresponsible personality and social life. Roberta's actions resemble of a troubled teen, causing readers to assume that she is a minority since minorities face the most struggles in society. Through Toni Morrison's use of these