Toni Morrison’s argument in her short story “Recitatif” is that racial division is replaced by a more generalized depiction of how cruelty, discrimination, and dehumanization originate. I agree that the root of racial/ethnic division is related to dehumanization. First and foremost, dehumanization is the process of denying someone or a group of people their best human traits. The short story starts with two 8-year-old girls named Twyla and Roberta. Morrison does not identify the protagonists’ race, which forces us, the readers, to reflect on our own prejudices and preconceptions regarding race and how they may affect our thoughts and ideas. One example from the text is it states, “Dummy! Dummy!” She never turned her head “Bow legs! Bow legs!” Nothing. She just rocked on, the chin straps of her baby-boy hat swaying from side to side.” This demonstrates that the girls have been degrading Maggie by making her feel or look less than human because they were calling out derogatory names to test Maggie’s response while attempting to determine whether she could hear, even though we know she is mute. Twyla is ashamed that Maggie could have been able to hear the girls even though she was mute because she didn’t reply to them. Throughout their lives, Twyla and Roberta have reconnected multiple times as they have grown older and discussed their memories and experiences of an incident involving Maggie, a disabled mute kitchen worker. Race is subordinated to Maggie’s disability. Maggie is beaten by the other girls because of her disabilities. Twyla, who is only eight years old, only remembers that Maggie collapsed instead of the beating. By telling herself that Maggie fell, she is shielding herself from recalling the actual events. Afterwards, Roberta clarifies that it wasn’t the case. “Don’t you remember? She was being beaten up.” (Roberta) As they gradually piece this recollection together, we do come to see that these girls were abusing and severely mistreating Maggie and that Twyla and Roberta failed to assist her and failed to inform any of the adults who could have done so. They were hesitant to engage in the beating, although they wanted to. Roberta is also honest enough with herself to acknowledge that she wanted to take part, and she claims that desiring to is the same as actually doing it. Twyla acknowledges to herself that she wanted to join in the beating even though she now knows she didn’t. Maggie’s disability and powerlessness are the primary components. Which makes us question why would anyone want to assault someone with a disability. Toni Morrison is possibly highlighting the fact that, even though we may be dealing with our own prejudices regarding race and class, we cannot forget that we still have the capacity to be cruel, possibly to people with disabilities or to members of other groups. The true issue, however, is that potential for cruelty as well as the propensity to dehumanize another person. 

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