Recitatif Friendship Theme

Friendship is a strong relationship that many individuals have the privilege of experiencing in life. In the short story by Toni Morrison entitled “Recitatif,” an example of this great form of relationship can be observed between Twyla and Roberta, two girls of opposing races that establish a friendship after their experiences in St. Bonny’s orphanage. Twyla describes her friendship with Roberta by saying, “We got along all right, Roberta and me. Changed beds every night, got F’s in civics and communication skills and gym. The Bozo was disappointed in us, she said. Out of 130 of us state cases, 90 were under twelve. Almost all were real orphans with beautiful dead parents in the sky. We were the only ones dumped and the only ones with F’s
While it is true that the motives and memories that fuel these relationships can become diluted, they never truly disappear. In “Recitatif,” Twyla and Roberta reached a point in which the circumstantial tension in the society around them was tearing them apart. Being from differing races, the desegregation of schools, racial tension, and overall social views of each race established a deep, socially-accepted hatred between the girls. They began intentionally emotionally destroying each other through signs, words, and actions. “Recitatif” focuses on this racial tension in Act 4 as it the girls fight verbally and Roberta says, “‘Maybe I am different now, Twyla. But you’re not. You’re the same little state kid who kicked a poor old black lady when she was down on the ground. You kicked a black lady and you have the nerve to call me a bigot,’”(Morrison 14). Everything around them was altering their motives and memories of each other, however, the girls still shared a deep down connection. In the end, their motives returned and their memories cleared up as the girls decided to move on past this racial tension. The return of the girls’ memories can be observed in the story when Roberta says, “‘Listen to me. I really did think she was black. I didn’t make that up. I really thought so. But now I can’t be sure. I just remember her as old, so old. And because she couldn’t talk well, you know, I thought she was crazy… And you were right. We didn’t kick her. It was the gar girls. Only them’”(Morrison 17). Thus, as it is shown in the case of Twyla and Roberta, friendships do not change, but instead, they are briefly adjusted until the situations and social ideas die