Elizabeth Abel, who is a white feminist writer, viewed Twyla as white because she focused on the social situations in which the characters find themselves. Abel also mentions that most white readers read Twyla as white, while most black readers read Twyla as black (Abel 471).
What race is Maggie in Recitatif?
Roberta also claims that Maggie is black, a fact that Twyla disputes (along with the memory of her and Roberta kicking her).
How would you describe Twyla?
Twyla is not a bright student, though she is marginally better than Roberta, who can’t read. As a child, she is afraid of the gar girls, curious about Maggie, and affectionate toward Roberta, her only friend at St. Bonny’s.
Why is the story called Recitatif?
“Recitatif” is Toni Morrison’s only published short story. The title alludes to a style of musical declamation that hovers between song and ordinary speech; it is used for dialogic and narrative interludes during operas and oratories.
What is the meaning of Recitatif?
Recitatif, recitative | ˌrɛsɪtəˈtiːv | noun [mass noun] 1. Musical declamation of the kind usual in the narrative and dialogue parts of opera and oratorio, sung in the rhythm of ordinary speech with many words on the same note: singing in recitative. 2. The tone or rhythm peculiar to any language.
Did Twyla and Roberta kick Maggie?
Roberta asserts that Maggie didn’t fall in the orchard, but rather, was pushed by the older girls. Later, at the height of their argument over school busing, Robert claims that she and Twyla participated, too, in kicking Maggie. She yells that Twyla “kicked a poor old Black lady when she was down on the ground…
What does Maggie symbolize in Recitatif?
Maggie represents someone who is deemed socially below the orphanage girls regardless of her skin color due to her appearance and lack of language. Later in the short story, Maggie’s ethnicity is disputed as Roberta declares she was black while Twyla doesn’t believe so.
Is Twyla a round character?
Answer and Explanation: Twyla is not a round character in “Recitatif” as her interests in food and friendship with Roberta continue into adulthood without much change.
How does Twyla change in Recitatif?
Answer and Explanation: In Morrison’s Recitatif, Twyla Benson changes in the story from beginning to end by becoming more assertive and self-assured. In the beginning of the story, Twyla is a meek girl – with a wild mother who embarrasses her. Throughout the rest of the story, however, Twyla acquires a certain edge.
How are Twyla and Roberta different?
In her interpretation, Twyla supports integration, but does not understand the deep underworking of racism in American society. Roberta, on the other hand, was “the more socially adventurous, if politically conservative” white woman (475).
What is Maggie’s disability in Recitatif?
Maggie’s disabilities—she is mute and possibly deaf, with “legs like parentheses”—make her even more vulnerable than the children at St. Bonny’s. She is mysterious, and the characters in the story all have different ideas about her. The other children claim her tongue was cut out, but Twyla doesn’t believe them.
What does dancing symbolize in Recitatif?
Dancing is associated with abnormality and deviance throughout the story. The gar girls dance in the orchard to music from the radio, a detail that conveys their sexuality and rebelliousness. When explaining why she ran away from St. Bonny’s during her third period living there, Roberta remarks: “I had to.
What happened to Maggie at the end of Recitatif?
The truth is that no one knows what happened to Maggie at the end of the ”Recitatif. ” The story concludes with Roberta desperately asking this question, something that confuses the readers because they don’t know the answer or meaning of the interrogation.
What does it imply that Roberta and Twyla can’t remember the incident by the end of the story in Recitatif?
What does it imply that Roberta and Twyla can’t remember the incident by the end of the story? Recitatif Morrison purposefully withholds her main character’s race to convey the story’s issues of race and people’s preconceptions.
What year was Recitatif set?
1950s
Historical Context of Recitatif
The first part of the story, when Roberta and Twyla are eight years old, takes place in the 1950s. During this period, Jim Crow segregation was in full swing and the Civil Rights Movement began. In 1954, the Supreme Court issued Brown vs.
Why are the GAR girls given that name?
Roberta and Twyla call the teenage girls at St. Bonny’s the gar girls, based on Roberta’s misunderstanding of the word “gargoyles.” The gar girls wear makeup, dance to the radio, and smoke cigarettes in the orchard.
Why is Maggie so significant?
She brought the two main characters, Twyla and Roberta, together. Maggie also represents the two main characters mother’s. Maggie is also the last person we are left thinking about at the end of the story. She has a connection with all the characters in the story and that is why she is important.
What does the orchard symbolize in Recitatif?
The orchard represents not just life but also death and the fall from grace. This space haunts Twyla’s dreams, although she can’t quite explain why it’s so significant to her. Though she fears the gar girls, she also is attracted to the bond that they have. She, too, wants to feel accepted and part of a group.
Who is Mary in Recitatif?
Mary is Twyla’s mother, who is introduced in the first sentence of the story when Twyla explains she is in St. Bonny’s because “my mother danced all night.” Throughout the story, Twyla uses this same phrase—childlike in its vague simplicity—to describe the reason why Mary can’t take care of her.
What is the relationship between Twyla and Roberta?
“Recitatif” chronicles the friendship of two girls, Twyla and Roberta, who meet in a shelter, St. Bonny’s. The parallels between the girls—including the fact that they are the same age and that both of their mothers are alive but unable to take care of them—create a sense that they are something like twins.
How many times does Roberta run away from St Bonny’s?
Roberta suggests that she blocked the memory because she felt guilty about it. Twyla learns that Roberta went back to St. Bonny’s twice before she finally ran away at fourteen. Finally, Twyla brings up their chance meeting at Howard Johnson’s.