Recitatif Analysis Essay

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An Analysis of Memory in ‘Recitatif’
Toni Morrison’s short story, ‘Recitatif’, tells the tale of a complex relationship between two women, Twyla and Roberta. In the story, Morrison uses the concept of memories as the foundation for the conflict between Twyla and Roberta. These two women have a strange and complicated relationship of competition and conflict, and this conflict is founded on forgotten, remembered, and shared memories. Twyla and Roberta share a long history, full of memories, and it is these memories that serve to ???
One important memory is the memory of Maggie, and this memory serves as a major point of conflict between Twyla and Roberta. Both characters have a vivid, specific memory of a certain incident involving Maggie in the orchard. Twyla claims Maggie, “fell down and those gar girls laughed at her”, while Roberta claims that the gar girls, “pushed her town and tore her clothes” and that Twyla and Robert joined the gar girls (Morrison, p. 16). Further, there is a discrepancy in the memory of Maggie’s race — Twyla …show more content…

During one of their meetings, Twyla and Roberta laughingly reminisce on their days at St. Bonny’s, saying, “‘Remember the Easter baskets?’ ‘Any how we tried to introduce them?’ ‘Your mother with that cross like two telephone poles.’ ‘And yours with those tight slacks.’” (Morrison, p. 11). While these memories don’t fuel the conflict, they do provide a context for the conflict. Twyla and Roberta have good memories that unite them, yet they still maintain this battle to outdo each other. If Morrison had chosen two characters who were lifelong enemies, the story would be much different. By choosing two characters who share fond memories of a difficult time in their life, Morrison shows the complexity that underlies Twyla and Roberta’s relationship and their

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