Recitatif By Toni Morrison

Recitatif is a striking work of fiction that allows the reader to draw their own conclusions within the text, showing the story of two not-so-orphaned children, Twyla and Roberta, living in an orphanage and growing up, their lives taking drastically different paths when they part, and the part they played in the bullying of a mute and disabled woman. In this essay I will be drawing light to the masterful way Toni Morrison left a vital focus of her writing intentionally ambiguous while also keeping the central theme of race coherent throughout the story, and having the reader challenge their internal biases. Throughout the text is the reoccurring theme of race, the girls are called “salt and pepper” by other children due to their differing backgrounds,

The story has many allusions to race and the differences between the two main girls, I would even consider it a central focus of the story which plays off of the two girl’s differences; yet their own races are left a mystery, the label of “Black” or “white” is intentionally left absent by the author to provoke critical thinking to the reader. This is furthermore backed up by the author providing a different label in race’s stead which is socially linked to race: Monetary

Twyla’s standing is contrasted by Roberta’s wealth, she marries rich and lives a cushy life, and her economic background is foreshadowed even in her childhood, where when her mother visits and gives her proper food, whereas Twyla’s mother gives her nothing for sustenance when she visits. It can be inferred by the socioeconomic status that Twyla is of color, but it is never confirmed, perhaps Roberta came from a family of color and they were financially sound, or the opposite is true, the truth is that we as readers will never know, and assumptions such as that are challenged by the ambiguous nature and the “What if’s” of this story, subtly challenging the reader to change the internal biases they have of colored people possibly being poorer than those of lighter skinned. While the story never outright states the races of the characters within, it uses social biases to fill the missing labels with something closely associated to race, the reader’s own experiences with wealth will no doubt tie into their perception of the