Literary Analysis Week 16

I feel this story tells so much between these girls. Not only is growing up easy for anyone, but the struggles of growing up that they had to go through plus as "a black girl and a white girl." (Page 1181) Segregation was a big major historical situation, and even years later, it still is a big deal, in many ways.

A part of Toni Morrison's "Recitatif," that I particularly liked is on page 1181, and reads as follows:
"We both giggled. Really giggled. Suddenly, in just a pulse beat, twenty years disappeared and all of it came rushing back. The big girls (whom we called gar girls - Roberta's misheard word for the evil stone faces described in a civics class) there dancing in the orchard, the floppy mashed potatoes, the double weenies, the Spam with pineapple. We went into the coffee shop holding on to one another and I tried to think why we were glad to see each other this time and not before. Once, twelve years ago, we passed like strangers. A black girl and a white girl meeting in a Howard Johnson's on the road and having nothing to say. One in a blue and white triangle waitress hat - the other on her way to see Hendrix. Now we were behaving like sisters separated for much too long. Those four short months were nothing in time. Maybe it was the thing itself. Just being there, together. Two little girls who knew what nobody else in the world knew - how not to ask questions. How to believe what had to be believed. There was politeness intuit reluctance and generosity as well."

I really liked this passage because I feel it tells a lot about the two sisters, their relationship, the struggles they've been through and also how different the two of them are. I thought it was interesting how one sister is white and the other is black. How was life for them as sisters, especially being "different colors" and how society during their life would have treated them? I thought it was interesting too how they passed each other "like strangers" yet a few months later, they are giggling like little girls and getting along. I find it amazing what it's like for TRUE friends, even family members, who go long periods of time without either talking to each other or seeing each other. I have a good friend who I've know for 18+ years. We used to go out to lunch at Chili's for appetizers and drinks pretty often, just to catch up; sometimes these times together would only be about 30 minutes long, and even though it was a short time to hang out, it always worked for us and our busy schedule. There was a period of time in our friendship where we were both extremely busy with work and just life in general. We literally went years (at least 2 years, if not more) without talking. We both knew it wasn't anything personal, we were just very busy. But the few times we did talk or see each other in person, we picked up where we left off and it seemed like no time had gone by at all...like we had seen each other yesterday. This passage reminded me of my personal experience with my friend and feel a personal connection to it.