Toni Morrison "Recitatif"

I found this piece interesting, as I do all of Morrison's pieces, because it deals closely with racial relationships. Morrison also makes it more appealing to our curiosity by not disclosing which character is white, and which is black. After thinking alot about why she would have done this, I realized that it could have been because Morrison wanted to show the reader how dependant our society is on the stereotpes that accompany both races. Without the ability to tell which character is white and which is black, we have no judgement to cast on either. Rather than feeling sorry for the victim, or mad at the oppressor, or wondering the heritage of each character, we're left with a feeling of uncertainty. Morrison makes the story more interesting by allowing us to make our own decisions based on our judgment. Usually in Morrison's stories or novels, she writes about black communities from an insiders perspective. In this piece, however, we're given a story from neither the black or white perspective. It's simple; just a story that focusses on two main characters who have a friendship formed purely on their racial similarities and differences. Overall, I enjoyed the piece because it brought out a different side of the 'thinking process' that goes along with reading.