Reitatif Toni Morrison Analysis

In Toni Morrison's work "Reitatif," I believe it was Morrison's intentions to portray that the race of individuals does not define them, it is rather their social classes and their upbringing. In turn, it is the manner and environment in which an individual is raised that molds a person's mind and how they perceive situations differently. This story is about two friends who perceive an incident differently. As I read this story I was intrigued knowing the friends were different races, but being unsure who was which race.

This story highlights a couple between Twyla and Roberta. One difference of great significance to this story is the race of the two friends. Twyla states, "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." (Morrison 201) Making such a statement shows us not only that they are different races, but that their difference in races doesn't bother them the way it may bother others around them. Although they were in a similar situation, it was for different reasons. It is said by Twyla, "my mother danced all night and Roberta's was sick." (Morrison 201) This statement made me believe one mother chose not to raise her daughter while the other had no choice in the matter. Twyla's mother, Mary chose a lifestyle of partying instead of taking care of her daughter and other responsibilities she should have. She wore clothing and lipstick that Twyla hated. Twyla also said, "Mary's idea of supper was popcorn and a can of Yoo-Hoo," (Morrison 202) which felt as if Mary had neglected Twyla on several occasions. Roberta's mother, on the other hand, was sick to the point of being incapable of caring for her daughter properly. Roberta's mother was a larger woman, who appeared to be a woman of God with her bible in hand, until she wouldn't shake Mary's hand, due to the difference of race. "Her mother brought chicken legs and ham sandwiches and oranges and a whole box of chocolate-covered grahams." (Morrison 204) It seemed as if Roberta's mother had felt bad that she wasn't able to take care of her and wanted to bring her comforting food.
Despite their differences, they also had their similarities.

Both Twyla and Roberta were both socially declined within the home. Perhaps they did not fit in because both of their mothers were alive, just not steady enough to take care of them. "We were dumped."(Morrison 201) This was not typical of the children at the home they were at. I believe it is this similarity that the connection of the two friends stems from. The other children, true orphans or foster children , treated Twyla and Roberta differently because they had mothers, causing them to stick together and develop the bond they had. Furthermore, both girls were failing academically. "We were eight years old and got F's all the time." (Morrison 201) Twyla had a difficult time remembering the material she had read or the teacher explained. Roberta was for different reasons, she couldn't read and didn't bother listening to what the teacher had to say. Both of which I believe may be a result of the instability in their

lives.
All these details stem as to why the girls remember the Maggie incident differently.

Each girl has been struggling with their own issues and looks to put their anger towards Maggie, even though they don't ever join, something inside of them wanted to. Maggie needed help and wasn't able to help herself because she was silent. Their mothers couldn't help themselves either, for different reasons. Both of the girls were lonely, scared, and abandoned and wanted to punish their mothers for not being there for them and this reflects the Maggie incident. Twyla relates Maggie to her mother when she says, "Maggie was my dancing mother." "Deaf, I thought, and dumb." (Morrison 212) Roberta relates Maggie to her mother by saying, "I thought she was crazy." "She'd been brought up in an institution like my mother was and like I thought I would be." (Morrison 213) Both are agitated and the fact they are in a similar situation and reminiscing about their mothers when they see Maggie, making them want to join and never speaking up to protect her because they weren't ever protected

either.

Concluding this, it was Morrison's intentions to portray that the race of individuals does not define them, it is rather their social classes and their upbringing. The environment and how the girls were raised plays a major role as to why they see situations differently with how they were treated and how they wanted to reflect the treatment of someone who had no blame for what had happened to either of them. Still being unsure which girl is what race, we learn it doesn't matter because Maggie's race didn't matter, it was based upon her disability rather.