Stereotypes In Recitatif

Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” deals with the reader's perspective on stereotypes. It allows the reader’s mind to be creative and question who is the African American women and who is the Caucasian women. The short fiction is based on two main characters; Roberta and Twyla. Neither women’s race is discussed in the story but they are, in fact, different. The setting took place in St. Bonny's shelter where both had no other choice but to be placed together. Roberta and Twyla were not fully considered “orphans” because their parents were not dead; one was sick and one was a dancer. Being that they are not actual orphans, many of the others did not want to hangout with them. “Recitatif” was also filled with stereotypical references to

“They never washed their hair and they smelled funny, Roberta sure did. Smell funny. Roberta could not read.” In the 1960’s African Americans were reviewed as people with poor hygiene and uneducated. When Twyla brings up those stereotypes to describe Roberta I immediately thought she was the African American. Twyla also said, “my mother would not like you putting me in here”, referring to the fact that Caucasian women did not like their daughters anywhere near an African-American, let alone living with one. Roberta is portrayed as a minority. The description of Roberta’s mother also leads readers to believe Roberta is African-American because in the text her mother is described as “bigger than a man, wearing a enormous cross and carrying a bible”. This description relates to a religious African-American women today, Whoopi

She disapproves of Twyla’s placement with Roberta in the orphanage. Also, Twyla describes her and Roberta as “salt and pepper.” Twyla being the salt and Roberta being pepper. Twyla being the narrator introduces herself first (salt) and Roberta being the second person, she introduces her second (pepper). You never say “ pepper and salt” it’s always “salt and pepper. Twyla’s mother tries to shake Roberta’s mother’s hand but Roberta’s mother refuses to shake it. This could be because her pride is too great. Roberta’s mother probably knows about the racial remarks and does not want Twyla to get the benefit of the doubt. Roberta mother is also a very religious women, Twyla mother is a “dancer” so maybe that is another reason why she does not want to shake her hand. However, Roberta and Twyla could be either race in all honesty because Toni Morrison challenges the readers views of racism. It all depends on your perspective towards the stereotypes and racism itself. What you believe is what you think. For example, I believed Roberta is the African American but many students in my class could debate about how Twyla is the African American. Toni Morrison could be trying to tell us that there isn’t really a difference between the different races like we grow to believe there are. Throughout the whole short story I was questioning what was the race of Roberta and Twyla, debating whether I was