Recitatif: A Story

i found this really interesting but the actual short story is so short. i think i enjoyed this was more because of the introduction and it made me really think and contemplate this story more. 

As a person who does not normally enjoy short stories. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Toni Morrison truly has a way with words. She makes you care for characters, even if you're only with them for a short amount of time. The introduction analysis by Zadie Smith was phenomenal. She helps the reader understand the text. I recommend reading the short story first before the introduction. I believe it's best to go into it without any preconceived notions. So you can form your own opinions and then read what Smith has to say.

The question of which character is who is such a brilliant idea. It makes the reader think about their internal prejudices and reasonings. I don't know which character is which and I think that was Morrisons' intent. I might even say they can be interchangeable if you think about it. This is why I loved this story so much. There's no one right answer and that's fascinating to me.

Before I give this story a final rating I'd like to reread and analyze it.

As a person who does not normally enjoy short stories. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Toni Morrison truly has a way with words. She makes you care for characters, even if you're only with them for a short amount of time. The introduction analysis by Zadie Smith was phenomenal. She helps the reader understand the text. I recommend reading the short story first before the introduction. I believe it's best to go into it without any preconceived notions. So you can form your own opinions and then read what Smith has to say.

The question of which character is who is such a brilliant idea. It makes the reader think about their internal prejudices and reasonings. I don't know which character is which and I think that was Morrisons' intent. I might even say they can be interchangeable if you think about it. This is why I loved this story so much. There's no one right answer and that's fascinating to me.

Before I give this story a final rating I'd like to reread and analyze it.

Read for Massachusetts Center for the Books book challenge: January - A book less than 100 pages in length

Twyla and Roberta, who shared a room for four months in an orphanage, are shaped by the society they live in. We see them meet several times throughout their lives. We are never told their races. My belief is Morrison wanted the reader to see in the end their races don't matter - we are all trapped by the racism/power system of our society.