Opposite Stance: A Lasting Bond

Jennifer Luong
Block 4
ECN 1102
February 24, 2010
Opposite Stance: A Lasting Bond
Recitatif is a story of two young girls who share a room in an orphanage. Through their similarities, these girls quickly begin to connect with one another. As they get older, each girl moves to different towns, marries, and have children, and during their lives, the girls continue to meet many times. Near the end of the story, they take opposing sides in a protest to promote racial integration. Although Morrison tells us that one girl is white and the other is black, she never assigns a specific racial identity to either of them. Roberta and Twyla's relationship is determined by their race, power, and social class. Even though these girls cannot change their race or social stance, they always connect through their old friendships and memories.
The girls' relationship is greatly affected by their social status. People can be powerful, and sometimes they are powerless. People with more power do not always treat those who are under them very well. This also applies to the Roberta and Twyla. At the orphanage, Bozo is at the top, then the big girls, then the real orphans who have beautiful dead parents in the sky, and then at the bottom are the dumped kids like Roberta and Twyla. Bellow Roberta and Twyla is Maggie who has a disability and is even picked by Roberta and Twyla. The people who have high power always mistreats those who are under them. This is also displayed when the girls are older and become young women.
When the girls get older, Twyla works at a restaurant and Roberta is traveling to see a famous musician, Jimi Hendrix. During their encounter at the diner, Twyla is looked down upon by Roberta because of her lower social stance. Roberta is at a higher position and wears a halter top, matching shorts, and huge earrings and a lot of makeup. While Twyla wears her waitress uniform hairnet and apron. Twyla is serving food, and Roberta is a customer at the diner. This if very different from when Roberta and Twyla were at the orphanage. At the orphanage they were at the same level, both of them were near the bottom of the hierarchy. When they were that the same social level they understood each other better, got along, and had a great friendship.
When they meet as young women, the balance of power has changed which causes their relationship to change. At the diner, when Twyla is mistreated by Roberta. Twyla says, “I was dismissed without anyone saying goodbye, so I thought I would do it for her.” When Twyla says goodbye provokes Roberta by asking, “How is your mother?” This upset Roberta very much and she leaves angry. Twyla asked that question to put them both on the same level. To bring Roberta back to the orphanage when the two girl were no different from each other. When Twyla and Roberta first meet, they talk about their mothers and bond because of this connection. This is the basis for their friendship at the orphanage. They know that their mothers are a very sensitive topic and it is something sacred they share together. Through out the story when they encounter each other, they continue to ask questions about their mothers and reconnect. When Roberta meets Twyla she asks, “Did your mother ever stop dancing?” and Twyla replies, “No,” and in returns asks, “Did yours ever get well?” and Roberta answers, “She never did.” At each encounter, the girls always bring up their mothers, reconnect on the same level.
At the end of the story, Twyla and Roberta get into a conflict during a protest to promote racial integration. Twyla does not want to speak to Roberta, but Roberta apologizes for what she has said to Twyla about Maggie in the past. Twyla accepts her apology and thanks her. As they are saying goodbye, Twyla brings up their mothers and they two girls reconnect again. Twyla asks “Did I tell you? My mother, she never stopped dancing.” Roberta answers, “You told me. And mine, she never got well.” In the end, even after a conflict, they are still able to connect with each other and have an understanding due to their relationship that they formed at the orphanage when they were children and need each other the most.
Also, in the story, there is a mystery of the girls’ race. Throughout the story, Roberta and twyla's characters develop substantially, but reveals whether Twyla or Roberta was black or white. Morrison suggest that the girls come from different ethnic backgrounds, but many of the traits could be a characteristic of either a black or white girl. This leads the reader to form their own opinion of which character traits belong to a white girl and those that match with a black girl. These important detail motivates the readers to solve the mystery and fill in the missing pieces and complete the story themselves.
Roberta and Twyla race, power, and social class greatly effected their friendship. When they had similar status, the girl bonded quickly and related to one another on a great level, As their social status changed as they got older, their relationship altered. Even though Roberta and Twyla race and status determine their place in society, it was their common bond that always connected them together.