Black People and Roberta Essay

In Toni Morrisons Recitatif, the story is somewhat two girls, Twyla and Roberta. They grow up in an orphans asylum because their set abouts could not care for them. Morrison makes it clear the girls come from different ethnic backgrounds but never states which one is char or whitened. At one point in the story Twyla comments, We looked like salt and pepper. I grew queer with the story and had to read it several times. I could never determine who was down in the mouth and white and the lesson I knowing should have been it doesnt really matter.The story begins with Twylas mother dropping her off at the orphanage. She meets Roberta and they pop off best friends. The bond they share occurs because they were not considered real orphans. They were abandoned kids unlike the other children whose parents had died. One of the perish times the girls see each other was the day of a visitation. On that night, Twylas mother was habiliment those tight green slacks that made her butt stic k out. Many people have designate blacks as having blown-upr butts.She could have been black, she could have been a heavy white woman with a large butt, or a Hispanic woman like me. But I automatically assortd and went with Twyla has to be black. During the visitation Robertas mother had brought chicken legs. Twyla notices Roberta does not eat the chicken legs. I always estimate black people liked chicken more than white people which means Roberta was white since she did not eat the chicken. Or maybe she just wasnt hungry. Shortly after that visitation Robertas mother came to take her home, leaving the girls devastated.They see each other several times throughout the years. At their primary meeting, Roberta was rude and distant because she was high. Roberta tells Twyla she is on the way to see Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix was an infamous black guitarist. I thought at this point Roberta has to be black. However Hendrixs band was interracial with a diverse audience. Roberta could have been white due to the diverse audience. I am a huge Hendrix fan and I am not black so why would I think Roberta is. Twelve years later they meet once more at a grocery store.Roberta married a rich man and was extremely friendly to Twyla. Twyla cannot curb back her emotions and asks Roberta about the last time they saw each other. Roberta shrugs it off, Oh, Twyla, you know how it was in those days blackwhite. You know how everything was. I can relate to this. In 1980, the Cuban Mariel Boat Lifts came over bring thousands of Cubans. I am Cuban but I was born here. Kids I had known since kindergarten treated me as if I just come over on the boats. It had a lasting effect on me and matured me beyond my years.The third time they meet is at the school where their children attend. Roberta and other mothers were picketing because they did not want their kids to be segregated. This lead to a fight severing any last chance of a friendship for them as it would not be resolved until Twyla a nd Roberta meet for a final time. As the story ends I do not get a sense of closure. The question of which girl is white or black remains unanswered. It open(a) my eyes and made me question how prejudice I really am.I try to not stereotype as a result of what I went through as a child but I found myself doing just that. I can understand why Morrison wrote the way she. I am not sure what her goal was overall but to me it seemed as if she were teaching me about prejudices. Recitatif challenged me to not judge every girl by their race but accept them for who they are. In the end, what difference did it really make about the girls races? The story is about how their friendship develops and then deteriorates. Nothing more nothing less.