Brittany Schutter

Mr. Newman
English 101: Rhetoric
13 November, 2014
What the Hell is Maggies Purpose?
Society tries to be aware of people with disabilities but it is still an uncomfortable
concept for a lot of people, especially amongst adolescents who have trouble understanding the
concept at all. But, as children grow more mature, more of them are able to cope. In the story
Recitatif, by Toni Morrison, Morrison includes a lot of controversial themes. One theme,
having to do with people with disabilities, Morrison uses the character Maggie to bring disability
awareness to two young girls, Twyla and Roberta. Their journey to understanding Maggies
special needs is a topic that author, Howard Sklar, goes very far into depth with in his essay,
What the Hell Happened to Maggie? Twyla and Roberta's childhood ignorance allows them
to disregard Maggie's disabilities and judge her for being different, but as they mature, their
realization of her disabilities fill the girls with pity and remorse.
Recitatif, narrated by the character Twyla, is the story of two young girls who boldly
face abandonment together while in an orphanage; after leaving the orphanage they have
continuous unexpected encounters while transitioning into their adult lives. Many themes in
Recitatif are blurred to the audience but one thing Toni Morrison makes very clear is that the
two girls are different races. Twyla reveals this to the audience when she states that she and
Roberta looked like salt and pepper standing there (Morrison 1), however, what she does not
make clear is which girl is which race. Racial acceptance is perhaps the most popular topic
discussed from this short story; Twyla and Roberta are able to overcome their difference despite
the fact that Twylas mother had told her that Robertas kind never washed their hair and they

smelled funny (1). Another theme Morrison includes in addition to racial acceptance, which is
usually over looked but equally important, is that of people with disabilities. This theme is best
displayed through the character Maggie, who is a mute and possibly deaf lunch lady that worked
at the orphanage that Twyla and Roberta had stayed in. Just as she does with Twyla and Roberta,
Morrison does not directly say that Maggie is disabled but she provides stereotypes that provide
hints to the audience. When describing her Twyla says that Maggie couldnt talk, her legs
[were] like parentheses and how she rocked when she walked, and she wore this really stupid
little hat-a kid's hat with ear flaps-and she wasn't much taller than we were (2). Just from
Twylas descriptions we cannot go straight to labelling Maggie as disabled, but, Twyla does
eventually mention that Maggie is for sure mute (2), which is a physical disability. Morrison has
a clear intention for making Twyla and Roberta two different races as it represents breaking
down the walls of discrimination. But, the absolute purpose for Maggies character being
disabled is still a mystery. However, countless people have analyzed it and have found their own
interpretation of Maggies condition and how it is important to readers.
Since Toni Morrison makes bold statements through her writing, many authors bring
their own meaning to them. In his own literary analysis, Howard Sklar, explains his
interpretation of Recitatif; he claims that Morrisons narrative aims to elicit reader sympathy
in ways that promote the interests of its sole disabled character (Sklar 3). But, Sklar clarifies
that he means sympathy, and not pity which he believes are used interchangeably but it is not
correct; sympathy is when you feel bad for someone because they are going through a situation
you can relate to (3). Pity on the other hand, is still feeling bad for someone but there is a sense
of superiority from the party who is not suffering (5). Sklar recalls many scenes from
Recitatif to justify Maggies purpose of being disabled: one of the scenes is the one in which

Twyla and Roberta continue making fun of Maggie and she does not answer, another scene is
when Roberta and Twyla meet in the supermarket and Roberta reveals that she remembers
Maggie being pushed instead of falling, and finally both the girls grudgingly remember how
terrible they treated Maggie even if they physically abused Maggie or not (8). What these
scences do for the audience is connect with Maggie on a personal level and bring that feeling of
sympathy when they realize how much Maggie was bullied. Sklar himself has a strong
connection with this story because his own daughter has a disability. Sklar explains that him and
his wife are afraid of what the future could bring to their daughter since she has learning
disabilities, anxiety, and is selectively mute (15). But, he does hope that stories like Recitatif
can bring readers that sense of sympathy when they are in a situation with someone who has
disabilities (16).
Just like Sklar and others that have read Recitatif and have concocted their own
interpretation for Maggies character; I have also formed my own elucidation of Maggies
purpose: Maggies character possesses a disability in this story to be a tool of growth for Twyla
and Roberta. Morrison is able to mature Twyla and Robertas understanding of Maggies
condition by making their arguments and memories of Maggie more complex and revealing.
During the girls first meeting, they know something is different is about Maggie but do not fully
comprehend it. Due to their ignorance, they respond by insulting her calling her dummy and
bow legs (2). However, by their last meeting, as two grown women, they become mortified as
they recall their encounters with Maggie as eight year olds. The women first begin justifying
their past behaviors with the fact they were young, Twyla reminds Roberta, We were kids,
Roberta and Roberta replies Yeah. Yeah. I know, just kids. But, just saying theyre kids is not
enough for Roberta as she becomes distraught having the thought of bullying Maggie hanging

over her head (12). I can personally attest to disability maturing others because I have sister who
has cerebral palsy. Unfortunately, I have witnessed my sister be bullied by her peers because of
their unfamiliarity to her condition. However, her special needs has provoked a sense of maturity
in every one of my family members that was not present before she was born. For me, Morrison
effectively uses Maggies disabilities to not only mature Twyla and Roberta, but the audience as
well.
Morrison greatly includes the topic of disabilities in Recitatif; whether Twyla and
Roberta feel smypathy for Maggie or they have become more knowledgeable of her condition,
they still feel remorse for how she was treated at the orphanage. Maggie and many other
characters in literature such as George from John Steinbecks story, Of Mice and Men. Although
is not certain why Toni Morrison incorporates a theme concerning disabled people in Recitatif,
but it is certain that she does so in good fashion while leaving it open for interpretation. Along
with that, with her only short story, Morrison appropriately addresses many of societys issues
and whether it resolves their controversies or not, Recitatif is a story that is very memorable.

Works Cited
Morrison, Toni. "Recitatif." 1983. Confirmation: An Anthology of African American Women. Ed.
Amiri Baraka and Amina Baraka. 1983 ed. New York: Morrow, 1983. N. pag. Print.
Sklar, Howard. "What the Hell Happened to Maggie?" Stereotype, Sympathy, and
Disability in Toni Morrison's "Recitatif." N.p.: Liverpool University Press, n.d. N. pag. Print.