Race and Class in “Recitatif”

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Race and Class in “Recitatif” In the short story, “Recitatif’, by Toni Morrison, the issue of race and racism is the main idea of the story. Twyla and Roberta are the main characters that ha... ve issues with racism, because both are from different races, but which one is black or white? Although both females represent different races, being black or white was irrelevant to them. So, they slowly begin to look past skin color and develop a bond at a young age when both were in the same orphanage. They soon realized they had a lot in common, thus creating a friendship that no one else could possibly understand. Even though they understood each other in a sense of knowing each other’s boundaries and knowing what and when to ask a question, with this relationship the girls somehow ended up reuniting about every twelve years, with each meeting having a totally different impact in their lives because of the differences they both embody. The girls’ social class also causes conflict in knowing what race they were. Knowing the social status, as oppose to race, of Twyla and Roberta truly affects how the story is depicted and adds to our understanding of the girls’ relationship because how we connect with them through our very own life experiences. The author never gives the racial identities of her main characters. She does this to make her audience focus on more than just race. Morrison wants you not to focus on the girls' races in order to understand how we all create characters upon reading. However, Morrison does provide clues that suggest which character is black or white, but the clues are extremely misleading [Show More]

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