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Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
"Recitatif" evokes a constant sense of loss. It begins by establishing Roberta and Twyla's loss of a normal childhood with responsible, caring parents; both girls are orphans surrendered to St. Bonny's. Even when the pair outgrow the orphanage and enter into adulthood, their lives are still permeated with the unshakable feeling of grief. When they reunite as adults, the loss of the close relationship between the two girls comes to sting the reader. In the orphanage, despite their difficult circumstances, they had always had each other—but in adulthood, even this is gone. No happy childhood memory is salvageable.
Even moments that might ordinarily be considered happy or cheerful are penetrated by the feeling of loss. In the final scene, for example, Twyla's decision to treat herself and her husband to a nice Christmas tree is immediately overwritten by her chance meeting with Roberta at the diner, where her distress over her lost memories is dredged up alongside the pain of losing Roberta's friendship. The grief and loss the two girls have experienced seems unbounded and insurmountable, even as women well into adulthood. The feeling of perpetual loss that wafts through the story reflects the constancy of the damage wrought by racial inequality: because of the oppressive structures of their society, neither Roberta nor Twyla ever had a fair chance—their loss was rendered unavoidable by their society.
