'Superiority In Toni Morrison's Recitatif'

Toni Morrison’s Recitatif is a story of two young, racially separated girls that grow up in an orphanage together. Because the girls were young when they first met, they knew they were different from each other and they knew their moms wouldn’t approve but they didn’t let it affect their friendship. They became the best of friends and began to make a lot of memories at a very young age, most of them highly affected by their emotions. When it came time for the two to move on from the orphanage, also known as St. Bonny’s, they vowed to write everyday and stay in contact. This story seems to be all about race but the author never tells us which girl is white or black. Morrison gives little hints but never a straight answer to the big question.
We can tell that by the way the two girls acted and reacted in similar situations that Roberta seemed to have had a better home life than Twyla who felt that Thanksgiving was hot mashed potatoes and two weenies. (Morrison 132) Throughout the years, the reader can see just how much of a difference there is between Roberta and Twyla. First, when their moms came to visit, Roberta’s mom brought “chicken legs and ham sandwiches and oranges and a whole box of chocolate-covered grahams” (Morrison 135-136) while Twyla and her mom “picked fur and cellophane grass off the mashed jelly beans and ate them.” (Morrison 135) Roberta’s mom wouldn’t even shake Mary, Twyla’s mother’s, hand because of the prejudice she had against her race. As the time grew it seems as though Roberta proceeded to take her mother’s place. When they met in the diner Roberta acts as if she is not at all interested in Twyla and her life. Again, Roberta seems superior when they cross paths at the store and Roberta seems to be of a higher class, with diamonds on her hands and a fancy dress. She even had her own car and driver, something that Twyla didn’t have. Roberta seemed well-off while Twyla just seemed content with her life at the