The Connection between Maggie and Twylas Mother

The use of secondary characters is a key element in Toni Morrisons short story
Rectatif. In this short story, Morrison portrays the secondary character, Maggie, in a way that
makes others look down on her due to her race and disabilities. The relationship between Maggie
and one of the main characters, Twyla, causes the readers question Twylas relationship and
view of her mother. In Toni Morrisons short story Rectatif, Morrison portrays the character
Maggie as a depiction of the main character, Twylas, mother and their relationship, which is
also interpreted in Sandra Kumamoto Stanleys essay, Maggie in Toni Morrisons Rectatif:
The Africanist Presence and Disability Studies.
Morrison begins her short story by introducing Twylas mother and her interest in
dancing (Morrison 1). Beginning the story with this description shows the distant relationship
between Twyla and her mother and establishes Twylas views of her mother and her mothers
actions. The relationship between Twyla and her mother can also be seen in Twylas relationship
with her own children. As Twyla gets older, the reader is able to see how she applies her
relationship with her mother to her own disconnected relationship with her children. Stanley
introduces the concept of Twylas mother representing silence and absence (Stanley 72) to
connect the idea failure of her mothers parenting when she was a child at the shelter.
Along with Twylas mother, Morrison also introduces the character of Maggie, who is a
disabled woman from the shelter that was picked on by all the girls. Maggie was not able to talk
and was often referred to as mute. When Maggie is first introduced, the reader is told about
Maggies fall that occurred at the shelter from all of the girls that were mean to her. As time went
on, Roberta and Twyla continued to refuse to remember her fall. Many readers believe that
Twyla connects Maggies fall with her own relationship with her mother. Many critics also argue

that although Twyla and Roberta are able to change throughout the story, Maggie never changes
and is left with the readers remembering her as someone with just a disability, and not as a real
person. Stanley makes the point in her article that says Maggie with her disabilities comes to
represent Twyla's own disabling moments; Twyla both identifies with Maggie and yet wishes to
exclude and even erase her (Stanley 76). This shows how connected the characters of Twyla
and Maggie are and that each one indirectly influences the other character, even if it is not
clearly stated in the text.
The way in which Morrison introduces the characters of Maggie and Twylas mother
allows Sandra Kumamoto Stanley to write an essay about the relationship between Twyla and
her mother and how Twylas connection with Maggie might be an influence on that relationship.
Stanley introduces the idea of how Twyla depicts her own mother as a fallen woman, one who
abandons her daughter (Stanley 76). This idea relates Maggies fall at the shelter with her
mothers parenting when she was a child. Stanley also says that Twylas memory of Maggie's
fall envelopes her memory of her mother; both are sites of shame and suffering that Twyla
associates with a shelterSt. Bonny or the orchardthat paradoxically could not protect her
(Stanley 76). Stanley also cites Judith Butlers opinion that By calling Maggie Dummy or
Bow legs, Twyla and Roberta recirculate words they have heard or through which they have
been discursively shaped (Stanley 76-77). This is a very important observation of the text
because it allows the readers to rethink how they interpreted Twyla and Robertas characters and
how they acted towards Maggie. This shows another connection between Maggie and Twylas
mother because it shows how much of an influence Twylas mother had in Twylas
characterization and how she treats other people, possibly of another race.

Toni Morrisons short story Rectatif opens up the question of if the relationship
between Maggie and Twyla represents Twylas relationship with her mother and how she views
her mothers actions. While many readers may think that Twylas mother and Maggies character
are completely independent of each other, other readers believe that Maggie and Twylas mother
are dependent upon one another in how they both influence Twylas character and represent
similar memories in her life. As Morrisons story continues, the reader is opened up to new
information about Twyla and her feelings towards her mother and Maggie. Maggie and Twylas
mother are both able to symbolize struggle and humiliation to Twyla and represent similar
feelings for Twyla that would otherwise be left unknown.