the plot and setting of the Recitatif.

The short story the Recitatif by Toni Morrison was an adventerous ride from the first page. Staring off in the 1950's and ending in the 1980's she skipped her time frames around. Sending the reader on an emotional ride through the whole short story. Here are the main events that sent us readers above and beyond while reading:

Exposition:
Being placed in a small orphanage called St. Bonnies two small girls (one black and one white unknowning to us readers) were basically dumped off by their single parent mothers. One who just couldn't stop dancing even for her child, and a mother who was just to sick to take care of her child. These two young girls Roberta and Twyla at only the age of 8 were placed in an enviorment that would change their outlook on the way they viewed their lives and those around them.

Rising Action:
Durring the rising action moving throught time by 10 years, and putting themselves in the 1960's. Roberta stumbles upon Twyla as she is working as a waitress at Hojo's (Howard johnsons) diner. promising to stay in touch with each other at the ending of this time frame that just never held tight.

Climax:
At this place in time it would happen to be the 1970's and durring the time when the school districts were trying to intergrate students from just being in an all white or black school. Twyla coming home from her day of shopping she looks and sees her childhood friend on a picket line against intergrating the schools. . . while trying to make her way throught the crowd Twyla stops her car slightly and starts to talk to Roberta, but after afew friendly words the conversation goes sour. Ending with the ladies that were on the picket line shaking Twylas car and Roberta telling Twyla that the woman Miss. Maggie that the children from the orphanage when they were younger weren't the only ones who had kicked her. But, that they had played apart in it as well.

Falling Action:
The 1980's had calmed down the settings and the actions taken by those people to a certian extent. Around the time of Christmas after going for a tree that she wasn't origanally going to get for her house. Since she was going to be spending her holiday with her husbands family and her children, Twyla stop before a winter snow could become heavy at a coffee shop for a small cup of coffee she saw Roberta. Theirs colors no longer a problem as it had been in the past durring the 1960's-1970's Roberta decides to talk to Twyla about something that had been bothering her.

Resolution:
Still placed in the 1980's and still in the coffee shop the conflict of this story comes to an end. Roberta sits across from Twyla ready to talk about what she had said in the past, and how she was wrong about how she had lied to make Twyla feel guilty. Relcutently Roberta had told Twyla that when they were younger when Miss. Maggie had fallen that they really didn't kick her as she had said they had, but truthfully coming out that deep in her she truly want to kick the lady.


Durring this whole story it was noticed that the way Roberta and Twyla had felt in the beginning had stayed with them untill the end. Feeling soft, quiet, alone, unheared and depressed as if no one could hear either of them and that no one wanted to hear them.