One example of Toni Morison using ambiguity and the absence of explicit racial markers to explore themes of complexities of race in “Recitatif”, is this quote here, “ We didn’t like each other all that much at first, but nobody else wanted to play with us because we weren’t real orphans with beautiful dead parents in the sky. We were dumped. Even the New York City Puerto Ricans and the upstate Indians ignored us. All kinds of kids were in there, black ones, white ones, even two Koreans.” In context, this quote belongs to the theme of complexities of race due to being excluded by the other races of kids at the orphanage. This can be inferred as a metaphor for exclusion because they were not considered true orphans by the other kids.

The second example of Toni Morison using ambiguity and the absence of explicit racial markers to explore themes of memory in “Recitatif”, is this quote from the text, “ I think we were wrong. I think she could hear and didn’t let on. And it shames me even now to think there was somebody in there after all who heard us call her those names and couldn’t tell on us.” This context from the text essentially means that the narrator believes that Maggie wasn’t so different from her and Roberto, however, now when she flashes back to that memory she’s feeling emotions of guilt and shamefulness. The memory allowed for interpretation on how identity is also being formed as this flashback caused her to reevaluate herself. 

The final example of Toni Morison using ambiguity and the absence of explicit racial markers to explore themes of identity in “Recitatif”, is this quote from the text, “ Things are not right. The wrong food is always with the wrong people. Maybe that’s why I got into waitress work later match up the right people with the right food.” I believe this is a form of identity because when Twyla was in the orphanage, she witnessed firsthand people getting food that implied it was not associated with them or their culture. Her witnessing this pushed her to become a waitress.

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