This idea that racism comes from general cruelty and dehumanization makes sense in a way, especially in Recitatif where Morrison doesn’t tell us which character is Black or White. Instead of focusing on race directly, the story shows how people can be cruel or make unfair assumptions without needing race to justify it. For example, the character Maggie who works in the kitchen and can’t speak, becomes a target of bullying just because she’s vulnerable. Later, Twyla and Roberta remember her differently. Roberta even claims she was Black, but Twyla doesn’t think so. That shows how race gets added later, almost like a way to make sense of guilt or past behavior. Still, I think it kind of misses the bigger picture. Racism isn’t just people being mean it’s also about power, history, and systems that treat people unfairly based on race. Even though Recitatif removes racial labels, it doesn’t erase how race affects the characters’ lives like when they grow up and take different sides during the school protests. That part shows how racism is also built into society, not just individual actions. So while dehumanization plays a big role, racism also has deeper roots that we can’t ignore.

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