A Literary Analysis Of Morrison's Short Story 'Rectatif'

845 Words4 Pages
Mrs. Dachsteiner Advanced Writing Skills 14 January 2011 Literary Analysis “You Bitch,” only one of the foul quotes in tony Morrison’s short story “Rectatif” (Morrison 163).The story is based off morals and how Americans categorize people of diverse racial backgrounds. While Morrison typically writes about black communities from an inside perspective, in this story she takes a different approach. “Recitatif” explores how the relationship between the two main characters is shaped by their racial difference. Morrison does not, however, disclose which character is white and which is black. Morrison gives a situation in which either race could possibly do. When Roberta introduces her mother…show more content…
This implies the segregation of schools by sending the blacks to go farther away so the whites could have the closer school to themselves. However, this idea of Twyla being black based on this detail is disproved when we find out that Roberta’s kids are being bussed too. The whites set up this bussing procedure. When Twyla and Roberta discuss the bussing, Roberta says, “It’s a free country (Morrison 171).” Twyla comes back by saying, “not yet, but it will be” (Morrison 171). Obviously offended, Roberta retorts with, “What the hell does that mean? I’m not doing anything to you” (Morrison 171). This implies that Twyla was blaming Roberta for this bussing, meaning that Roberta is a white Woman. Twyla continues by referring to Roberta’s fellow picketers as they, “Look at them. Just look. Who do they think they are? Swarming all over the place like they own it, and now they think they can decide where my child goes to school. Look at them, Robert, They’re Bozos” (Morrison p. 171). The Big Bozo, described at the beginning of the story, was the head of the orphanage; a white woman.” This implies that the picketers are whites as they are the ones causing the racial strife. However, Roberta responds by defending them, as one would defend your own kind. The animosity goes to another level and Roberta even accuses Twyla of kicking Maggie. She says, “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 p. 172) She is accusing Twyla of being a bigot, an intolerant white

More about A Literary Analysis Of Morrison's Short Story 'Rectatif'

Open Document