Idea of Civil Rights Movement in Recitatif - Book Report/Review Example

Twyla, the main protagonist, battles herself on her racial beliefs and tries to make amends not only with the memories of her past but also with Roberta’s.

Contrary to Roberta’s claim that Twyla is a bigot, she may not be regarded as such. This can be shown in the conflict with the story of Maggie and Roberta’s claim that she is black when Twyla cannot even recall her color. This shows that she is blind when it comes to skin color. If anything, she was sympathetic in that what she ardently remembers is her desire to help her. Though it may be determined that she had her own biases as when Roberta was first introduced to her and they were regarded as salt and pepper. She did stereotype blacks in that she sees them as having a certain attitude. “Easy, I thought. Everything is so easy for them. They think they own the world” (Morrison, 1983).

Even if want to admit it or not I think we all have certain biases though they are not always limited to racial stereotypes. Though Twyla did not judge Maggie on the color of her skin, her memory of her was still founded on her aesthetic quality since she always identified her for how she looked. “I just remember her legs like parentheses and how she rocked when she walked” (Morrison, 1983). This still exudes how people are judged and treated according to how they look.