The Intersection of Trauma and Racial Memory in Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif”

The Intersection of Trauma and Racial Memory in Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif”

Kanika Chakraborty,

MA in English North-Eastern Hill University

Abstract

Toni Morrison's "Recitatif" rigorously examines the relationship of trauma and racial memory, illustrating the influence of personal and collective trauma on identity formation. Morrison examines the formation and reinforcement of racial dynamics through memory by focusing on Twyla and Roberta, two girls from disparate ethnic backgrounds who share a traumatic childhood experience. The narrative's intentional racial ambiguity prompts readers to examine their own racial prejudices, while the characters' developing relationships underscore how racial memory—rooted in societal frameworks and individual histories—persistently shapes their existence. Morrison’s tale illustrates the intersection of trauma and race, with the characters’ collective and distinct experiences mirroring the wider racialised trauma present in American society. The narrative serves as a contemplation on the recollection, reconstruction, and interconnection of trauma with racial identity, illustrating the profound and enduring influence of racial history on personal experiences. Consequently, this paper intends to explore the relationship of trauma and racial memory represented in “Recitatif” in the light of trauma studies and to trace the aetiology of those in the practices of racism.This essay additionally explores the prospect of healing from the wound of trauma as evinced by Morrison.

Keywords: Toni Morrison, Recitatif, trauma, racial memory, identity, racial ambiguity, collective trauma, childhood trauma, race and identity, memory studies