Recitatif

In my English 1310 course I was assigned the short story Recitatif by Toni Morrison. The entire story is about two girls, one white and one black, who got to know each other at the age of eight at St. Bonaventure orphanage. Years after they leave the orphanage, they see each other in a diner. Later they see each other in a ritzy grocery store. Even later in life they see each other in a picket line for school integration. Finally, they see each other in a coffee shop soon before Christmas. The most interesting part of this story is that Morrison does not tell which character is white and which is black. However, she makes statements about each character and their mothers that cause the reader to make assumptions on the race of either character. The incredible thing is that these assumptions could easily go either way depending on biased opinions that the reader holds. If you want to reevaluate the way you think about blacks and whites, read this short story. It really is enlightening.