Pariahs

The writing of Toni Morrison is riddled with the motif of the pariah- the outsider, the person or group forcibly separated from the rest, which is perceived to drain the world of its goodness and light. In Recitatif, too, does she write about the implications of being a pariah.
When they arrive at St. Bonny's, Twyla and Roberta are pariahs. They do not fit in with the orphans because they do have mothers, however unfit they are. They are called "salt and pepper" in a derogatory way because they are different races and racial tensions and separation were high at the time. The older girls, the "gar girls" ridicule and bully them. In this environment is forged a strong bond of friendship that lasts them a lifetime. The girls understand each other best because they know what it is like to be the outsider.
Morrison also includes another despised, lonely character, Maggie, who fits the qualifications for a pariah. She is weird: deaf-mute, crooked, poorly (both badly and cheaply) dressed. Everyone seems to prey on her, except poor Maggie cannot defend herself because she cannot talk. Though what really happens to Maggie is unclear, it is clear that due to her oddities she is handed pariah status.
A common theme throughout many of Morrison's works is that the pariah is a necessary component to a society. In Recitatif, too, she includes such characters to have an accurate representation of a whole society.