47 pages • 1 hour read
Toni MorrisonRecitatif
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1983A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
The Orchard
The orchard is the place beyond the orphanage where the older girls gather to play music and dance. It's a liminal space. There are no adults (Bozos) in control, only the girls themselves. Of course, it's the older girls (the gar girls) in control; there they can smoke, play music, and dance. The girls are not afraid to express themselves in the orchard and are free from the restrictions of the orphanage. Twyla and Roberta are drawn to this space, even though the gar girls have made it clear they don't belong. If they get caught, the girls will beat them. Thus, it is also a place of trespass and violence. Further, it's where Maggie is attacked, and it's where Twyla and Roberta feel the violent urge to attack Maggie as well. The apple trees in the orchard allude as well to the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden. The orchard represents not just life but also death and the fall from grace.
This space haunts Twyla's dreams, although she can't quite explain why it's so significant to her. Though she fears the gar girls, she also is attracted to the bond that they have. She, too, wants to feel accepted and part of a group. She wants the protection that the group provides, and the orchard is where the girls have power. Twyla and Roberta's desire to beat Maggie is a deep desire not to be the voiceless, lone victim. It's a desire to assert one's voice and one's control. Unfortunately, this desire for control and the desire to be part of a group is tied to the beating of someone who has no control and is part of no group.
The Gar Girls
The gar girls are only a few years older than Twyla and Roberta, but they act much differently, having learned the ways of make-up, big hair, and skimpy clothing. Twyla and Roberta are fascinated by them, but also keep their distance so they won't get attacked by them.
But the gar girls are vulnerable, scared girls just like Twyla and Roberta. They have learned to act tough in order to survive, but Twyla knows that deep down they are not much different from them. Once they leave the orchard, and once they leave the orphanage, they are on their own.
Clothing
Clothing can be transformative. People can use clothing to gain acceptance or rejection with others. Roberta wears socks that are still wet because she thinks the pink scalloped tops will be pleasing to her mother. Twyla's mother, Mary, wears tight green pants and a tattered fur jacket that make her stand out from the church-going crowd. Roberta's mother wears a large cross that is symbolic of her stern morality. As an adult, Roberta has adapted to the clothes of the rich. She is part of the party at the fancy Newburgh Hotel, where "the men huddled in tails and the women had on furs. Shiny things glittered from underneath their coats" (260).
Food
Twyla is grateful for the food at the orphanage because it is much better food than that which she gets at home. Roberta, however, picks at her food. It is clear that she eats much better at home. Twyla is annoyed by the way Roberta doesn't appreciate her food, explaining that the reason she works at the Howard Johnson's is partly because she wants to be able "to match up the right people with the right food" (248).
Later, when Twyla’s town of Newburgh is going through gentrification, she visits the fancy new grocery store that caters to the rich. She is embarrassed to spend money for the overpriced items and justifies her shopping by buying Klondike bars, a more down-to-earth treat, which she is sure her son and husband will enjoy.
Food, then, symbolizes shelter and safety; the food at the shelter and the food at the Howard Johnson's diner symbolize that needs are being met. When Twyla's mother fails to bring food to the orphanage, Twyla is upset since they have nothing but jelly beans to eat. But food can also become a symbol of status, as seen in the overpriced food at the new Food Emporium, where food is not meant to satisfy needs but to satisfy a desire for luxury.
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By Toni Morrison
