Yvette Bostic
Robley Welliver
Lit 205/11
September 9, 2013

In order for one to understand Twyla’s characteristic of being slightly prejudice and the secret hate that she had toward her childhood friend has to do with the concepts and thoughts that Twyla’s mother in stored in her as a child about other people who were not like her and a lot of those concept where wrong. Twyla’s roommate Roberta did not meet any of the negative things Twyla’s mother had told her about Africa American people. Twyla thought she deserved better and was supposed to have better because she was white. She secretly had had toward Roberta because she ended up with the life Twyla was supposed to have, but because of the bond they had growing up would somehow keep them connected every time they ran into each other in passing. In the beginning of the story Twyla had a negative attitude toward African American people. Twyla’s mother had warned her as a little girl that “they never washed their hair and they smelled funny” (Morrison, Toni) this gives you an indication that Twyla was white and was raised by a prejudice white mother whom which at times she seemed to be ashamed of. The first time Twyla and Roberta was introduced Twyla seemed to be uncomfortable. She told Bozo “my mother won’t like you putting me in here” (Morrison, Toni) but as time went on it did not seem to bother Twyla much, Twyla and Roberta became best friends in the orphan home, they were always together and the played together a maybe because they had something in common that the other girls did not have. Both girls were in the orphan because they were not wanted by their parents. The other girls was in the orphan because their parents were no longer alive, therefore Twyla and Roberta had something in common that allowed them to have a bond for life. Twyla’s character showed she was a judgmental individual and was easily embarrassed by things. The way she introduced her mother when she came to visit her and also the way she judge Roberta every time she ran into her in the future and also how she judge Roberta’s mother the first time she meet her at the orphan. Twyla’s personal feelings play a big part in her actions and thoughts toward people in her life. Her comments and action when Mary visit’s shows how ashamed she was of her mother and dislike her because she never paid attention to her and abandoned her the way she introduced her by her name “Mary”. That shows she does not consider or respect her as her mother. Twyla always had her own perception of people when she first laid eyes on them and they seem to always be negative. For example the first time she meet Roberta’s mother, the perception she was taught that African American people stink, their dumb don’t know how to read and not to mention all of them were fat and did not comb their hair although, Roberta’s mother was fat she knew how to read. I felt as if Twyla was jealous of Roberta and her mother. When both mother’s came to visit Twyla’s mother came with nothing, no food, no attention just Mary. On the other hand Roberta’s mother came with “Fired chicken legs and ham sandwiches and oranges and a whole box of chocolate covered grahams” (Morrison, Toni) and paid attention to her and read the bible to her, Twyla felt as if she was supposed to have the nice food and the attention from her mother. Throughout the story Twyla and Roberta ran into each other a few times in passing. Each time she saw Roberta her life seems to be getting better and better and hers was just okay. Twyla see’s Roberta the first time in dinner she was working at “she was sitting in a booth smoking a cigarette with two guys smothered in a head of facial hair her own hair was so big and wild I could hardly see her face “( Morrison, Toni). Roberta did not notice Twyla much the first time she saw her Twyla thought she was cold toward her so she thought she was on dope. The second time Twyla and Roberta meet was at a grocery store in a town where rich IBM and doctors would shop at. Twyla thought the people who lived in that town always had it easy and struggled for anything. This time Roberta was more friendly and happier she had married a man who gave her a better life, Twyla on the other hand had a different life she wanted to have the easy life Roberta had. By the third time Twyla and Roberta saw each other Roberta as protesting for the rights of her son’s decision to attend a school that was close to home instead of a school that was far away because of the color of his skin they wanted Roberta to relocate her son. Twyla did not think anything of it because she feels if her child has to be bused to another school why can’t hers, she felt what made Roberta so special to fight for the right that her son gets to stay. Roberta was fighting because her son was black and they did not want him attending the school because of the color of his skin, Twyla’s fight was because she never understands why Roberta always had the finer things in life and she didn’t and she felt she deserved Roberta’s life and Roberta was supposed to have her life. Roberta ended up being the opposite of what Twyla’s mother had raised her to believe what Roberta and her life was supposed to be like but because of the history and the connection they had growing up will always keep them boned and connected for life.

References
Morrison, Toni. “Recitatif” Mason Links. George University, n.d. Web. 10 Sept 2013