Morrison Blog Post Prompt
How does Toni Morrison use ambiguity and the absence of explicit racial markers to explore themes of identity, memory, and the complexities of race in “Recitatif”? (300 words, use at least three examples from the story)
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Rakesh Ramsaywack
Morrison’s “Recitatif” recalls the relationship between Roberta and Twyla who first met at a shelter, but have several interactions later in life. The story does not expressly provide clear ways through which the characters can identify their racial identities. This lets the reader to interpret their racial identities based on their views, conversations and encounters.
Morrison uses ambiguity and a lack of racial markers to explore the themes of identity, memory, and the complexities of race by first making the racial identities of Twyla and Roberta uncertain. To demonstrate this, they are neither portrayed as black nor white in the story, which plays out in directing how these young women recall their shared past at a shelter. While their memories are influenced by views about race, the things they recollect are inconclusive. For example, they recall the incident about a girl named Maggie whom they thought could not talk and was sandy-colored (Morrison 2). This debate goes on when Roberta states that she was unsure whether Maggie was black or not at the time she fell (Morrison 16). In essence, this affirms that they were unaware of the racial identities they wanted to assign to Maggie during their time at the shelter.
Morrison also shows how the absence of racial markers shows the complexities of race. This is demonstrated by the challenges that Roberta and Tyla face in answering the question on race during their time in the shelter. For example, Roberta laments that Twyla never wanted to know how she was in those days or whether she was Black or White (Morrison 13). This was in the past, but it now emerges that race has shaped their adult experiences. Another example is when Twyla thinks that Maggie may have been Black (Morrison 19). This has contributed to the complexities they faced whenever they wanted to identify with a racial identity in their adulthood.
Work Cited
Morrison, Toni. “Recitatif.” 1983. 1-20.
Jaqueline Martinez (she/her)
In “Recitatif,” Toni Morrison successfully explores themes of identity, memory, and the complexity of race through ambiguity and the lack of obvious racial identifiers. Morrison shows how deeply embedded cultural ideas of race may affect interpretation by forcing readers to face their own impacts and assumptions by refusing to reveal the two major characters, Twyla and Roberta,’s definitive ethnic identities. The account of the girls’ first encounter at St. Bonny’s serves as one illustration of this ambiguity. Twyla states, “It was something else to be stuck in a strange place with a girl from a whole other race.” Morrison, however, never makes it clear which female is white and which is Black. Because of this ambiguity, the characters’ shared experiences of abandonment and their developing connection take center stage instead of their ethnic identities. Additionally, it challenges readers to consider how their views of race affect how they interpret the narrative. The demonstrations scenario outside the school is another example. Roberta and Twyla end themselves on different sides of a segregation demonstration. Although there is a lot of racism in the scenario, Morrison doesn’t say who is demonstrating in favor of or against integration. This uncertainty draws attention to the complex nature of racial dynamics and the ways in which personal relationships and more serious social problems interact. Lastly, Morrison’s look into memory and identity is summed up by the frequent references to Maggie, a silent kitchen worker at St. Bonny’s. The conflicting memories Roberta and Twyla had of Maggie whether she was Black or white and how she was treated show how guilt and individual experience may influence memory. The story’s focus on hatred and exclusion is made more difficult by the ambiguity surrounding Maggie’s race. Morrison creates a story that is both deeply personal and universally relatable by using ambiguity in these examples to force readers to consider the shifts of identity and the common influence of racial conceptions.
Manuel Carreon (He/him)
Throughout the reading of “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison it is clear that the absence of certain details regarding the characters and memories and as well as race was done on purpose in order to invite the reader to make there own interpretations on these very same themes (identity, memory and race). This strategy that Toni Morrison used is perfectly displayed all throughout the reading which can be seen on page 2 in the first paragraph where the author writes “So for the moment it didn’t matter that we looked like salt and pepper standing there and that’s what the other kids called us sometimes”. This perfectly captures how the author doesn’t outright say anything about their race (which is one of the themes presented) but instead chooses to leave it as vague as possible in order to allow interpretations from the reader. Another Example can be seen on the first page as shown here “she came over to me and said, “Is your mother sick too? “No,” I said. “She just likes to dance all night.” In this short quote, Toni morrison is able to capture the themes of identity by indirectly outlining how they come from two different situations without directly explaining what their situation is regarding their mothers. The last example that shows this strategy being used is in page 6 in the second paragraph where it says “. Her wet socks with the pink scalloped tops and her big serious-looking eyes-that’s all I could catch when I tried to bring her to mind.” This being a clear example of the theme memory shows the author uses words to describe roberta without actually implying its her. He does this so the reader is left to interpret who the words are based upon based on previous pages of the reading.
ismaeliglesias (he/him)
Toni Morrison well explores themes of identity, memory, and the complexity of race in Recitatif by utilizing ambiguity and the lack of overt racial indicators. Morrison pushes readers to examine their biases and presumptions by purposefully not including the racial identities of the main characters, Twyla and Roberta, demonstrating how societal constructions of race affect relationships and perceptions. The first encounter between Twyla and Roberta in the orphanage is a notable illustration. Though she doesn’t say the race each girl is of, Twyla says her mother told her against persons of Roberta’s race. This ambiguity challenges readers’ assumptions about race and conduct and calls into question that it’s true of racial stereotypes in forming relationships and identity.
Another example is the demonstrations against school segregation. Twyla and Roberta appear to be on opposing sides of the debate, with Roberta seemingly against the busing idea and Twyla seemingly in favor of it. The ambiguity of their racial identities adds complexity to the situation, underlining how race connects with class, personal history, and political views. This example demonstrates how memory is changing and how it influences attitudes toward social and racial fairness. Finally, the exploration of memory and remorse centers on the mystery character of Maggie, the mute woman at the orphanage. Maggie’s treatment is recalled differently by Twyla and Roberta, who argue about whether she was “black or white.” This ambiguity demonstrates how cultural narratives about race and individual experiences impact recall. As a character that Twyla and Roberta put their own anxieties and weaknesses into, Maggie’s identity shifts away from her race and toward what she stands for. Morrison challenges the differences and assumptions that support these difficulties while encouraging readers to consider how racial definitions impact identity and memory through this purposeful ambiguity.
Gianni Coombs (he/him)
Part and parcel of the story itself, this ambiguity and the absence of explicit racial markers allow Morrison to weave such themes as identity, remembering, and the intricacy of race throughout the short narrative. Morrison is using this strategy to unsettle the reader’s expectations and to enjoin the readers to reflect on the very social construction of race itself.
Key is the entirely ambiguous relationship between the two central characters-Twyla and Roberta. Morrison has chosen to deliberately not state the races of the characters, leaving readers free to put on black or white masks. Racial identity shifts with the way the reader interprets it. For example, Twyla describes Roberta in a white way towards the beginning, yet as it goes on, Roberta seems just as likely to be black. Not telling the reader what kind of race the characters were forces him or her to face their own assumptions about race and biases.
Morrison employs memory to exemplify this excess regarding racial identity. The minutiae and selectiveness of memory during the St. Bonaventure childhood remain broken down into divergent recollections of particular pivotal events. By the time these two women meet as adults, each recalls the other dancing at the orphanage, their memories diverging from there. Roberta says Twyla committed a crime, she says no, not in that sense. And the clash adds to how memory, race, and one’s own history can shape identity for oneself or another.
The racial ambiguity in Recitatif ultimately serves as a possibility to explore how societal constructions of race shape individual identity. There are no racial markers enough to address readers to the characters now; rather, the characters are placed under the reader’s lenses of view as individuals and not solely according to their racial context. Though, Morrison critiques how race often overshadows deeper human experiences, such as friendship, trauma, and personal growth, emphasizing the complexities of race and identity in American society.