Tyler Hirsch

English 101: Rhetoric

Mr. Newman
13 November 2014
Highlighting Issues in Recitatif
Relationships in adulthood prove to be opposite of childhood in Recitatif by Toni
Morrison. The narrator, Twyla tells the story of her childhood with Roberta and the obstacles
they battled throughout adulthood due to their future social class and race. The future superiority
of Roberta determines her outlook on poverty. Both from a humble home in an orphanage,
Twyla and Roberta started as good friends yet their meetings in the future prove this has
changed. Through adulthood, indication of internal problems occur in the story. The conflicts
between Roberta and Twyla are highlighted in the text by topics of race and social class.
Social class is a hybrid topic throughout Marxist criticism. In Critical Theory Today by
David Shirley, social class is described as the main outcome for happiness and struggle. Shirley
uses the terms upper class and lower class to define the struggles depicted in his text. One
that is economically privileged, Roberta, married into money and financial stability. Roberta
seems to feel unhappy with her life. She is part of the upper class and feels a sort of jealous vibe
in the presence of Twyla. This social class issue is apparent at Twylas place of employment.
Roberta arrives with her friends and sees Twyla but hardly acknowledges her presence. This is
the result of Roberta being jealous of the financially struggling Twyla because she is happier
with her inferior life than Roberta is with her financially stable life. Roberta seeing her former
friend happier than her in such a polar opposite lifestyle is sickening for her which leads to a
snobby attitude from Roberta which makes Twyla feel inferior and upset towards her. This is the

main issue that was brought to the surface through social class. The next incident on the picket
lines can be tied in with the subject of race.
The topic of race in widespread throughout the text and the busing strike, being
ultimately the biggest incident in the text, plays a big role. Race is said to let the reader
complete the story, which is part of the fact that the story is so criticized. The incident deals
with the race of Roberta and Twyla because of the sides they are picketing with. Roberta is
fighting with her neighbors to keep their children off of the buses that travel through black
neighborhoods. Roberta is exhibiting a great deal of racism and this is very upsetting to Twyla,
who is still withholding a grudge from the last time the two met. Just as Twyla began to let go of
the incident at her place of employment, the two became literally separated by race between the
two lines. This incident demonstrates how race plays a big role in the problems that occur
throughout adulthood for Roberta and Twyla. In a critical essay discussing topics of race and
gender in Recitatif, the inserts of racism proven and further analyzed. Goldstein-Shirley takes
his analysis and thoroughly addresses racism and the hidden characteristics of race of Roberta
and Twyla. The races can be inferred but are never stated in the text which adds to the fact that
race is a very important contribution to the incidents in the text. Twylas confusion as to how
Roberta could be so racist is proven when she tells her, I wonder what made me think you were
different in a conversation they had on the picket lines. Twyla questions how Roberta could be
so two faced and why race must play such a big part in her life. Twylas dialogue in the text and
a critical essay on the texts race and gender characteristics play a big role in discussing the main
incidents in the text which can be directly related back to the topic of race.
Recitatif by Toni Morrison has two incidents that stand out when discussing the topics
of social class and race. The two main characters, Roberta and Twyla, deal great drama that

solely rely on these two topics entirely. The first incident at Twylas place of employment
displays the issue of jealousy through social class. Roberta is jealous of Twylas low-income life
because of her positive attitude. She wonders how someone so poor and unstable could be so
much happier than her which proves to be an issue regarding social class. The next issue that
portrays the second highlighter, race, is the busing incident on the picket lines. Roberta is
fighting to keep her children out of busses that run through black neighborhoods. Twyla is
fighting that this segregation in unnecessary and not a probable cause for a fight. She is confused
as to how the woman she thought was her good friend could be so racist towards her. The main
issues between the two main characters, Roberta and Twyla, in Recitatif are dependent on and
noticed by readers because of the subjects of social class and race.