Recitatif

So throughout the entire story I wasn't sure which girl was white and which girl was African American. Every time I thought I had it figured out, Morrison would write something that made me question everything. Originally I assumed Morrison herself was the narrator, making the story from an African American perspective. But then I realized it wasn't her and then I got super confused. At first it kind of annoyed me, not knowing who was who. I wasn't sure if I was completely missing something, or what. I just knew I had no idea what color skin the narrator had and what color skin the friend had. But in retrospect, I realize it doesn't really matter who has what color skin in the story. It actually makes it kind of interesting, not knowing. Because the story really could be told from either perspective--it works both ways. And I think that really adds something special to the story. It's interesting to read through the piece of writing twice--once from the viewpoint of a young African American girl; and once from the point view of a young white girl. Either way the story gives the audience a good look into the different stages of life between the friendship of an African American girl and a white girl. The story makes me wonder if any part of it was based on a personal experience of Morrison's.





P.S. I still don't understand the title of the story at all.