I wonder what the purpose of it is. I learned that it's an experimental piece, and the sbject is the reader. However, the main thing seems to be testing readers' assumption of the two girl -- who is White, and who is Black.
I feel it is kind of lost on me since I just pictured the girls as a template human being (like shadows, where they are not described to details). I think it's impossible to tell which girl is of which race based on the text, if Morrison didn't intent to show us (I'm not sure if she has them sorted out when she's writing it). The impacts of their upbringings are shown, and it's not hard to sympathize with both Twyla and Roberta.
I do reckon I would understand it more if I familiarize myself with the periods and movements. They do interact differently each time they meet. But I do think that everything can be argued both ways because every person is a different entity, and we do things in our own way. In my opinion, identifying as a certain race does not make people behave or think in a uniform way.
Maggie represents the vulnerable people who is hurt by others. And I think the point that wanting to hurt people is the same as hurting them is powerful. It's not a new idea for me, but maybe it was when the story is written. Maybe the confusion of their memorize can be seen as a manifestation of biased perceptions. And maybe what the color her skin is is not that important, what's noteworthy is how terribly she's treated.
Besides that, I adore Morrison's writing. It's concise and leaves a lot of space for my imagination. I'm still thinking about the ice cream and the coffee shop (diner).
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