Instruction
Reading. Please read Toni Morrison's bio, page 1427 - 1428, and her short story "Recitatif," pages 1429 - 1442.
Reflection. Then, consider what the theme of the story might be. Open this assignment, and write a paragraph or so about what you think the theme of this story is and why. But read the following first.
Theme is what a story is "about." That's not the same thing as plot. Plot is what happens. Theme is something important that runs through the entire story, that is present in some way on nearly every page. And stories will often have multiple themes, though one will probably emerge as most important to you in your reading.
Here's an example. Looking back at "The Storm" by Kate Chopin, you might say the theme is sexual freedom. Someone else might argue that it's passion or infidelity or equality or women's rights or our animalistic natures as mirrored in the ferocity of the storm itself. (Sometimes, a theme can be stated in one word, but sometimes it takes a few to get at it.) The most important aspect of identifying a theme in fiction (or in other kinds of writing) is that we're able to explain why we think so. If I'm arguing that the theme of "The Storm" is sexual freedom, I might say that I think so because Calixta and Alcee' have their encounter and then return to their separate married and family lives unscathed and without consequence. They have no plans to continue their affair, and they don't seem to feel the need to explain anything to each other or to confess to their spouses. Neither seems unhappy to go back to life as it was before the storm came. Neither seems plagued by guilt or regret. Their sexual freedom is absolute.
Note 1: Theme is not the same as moral. I am never going to ask you the moral of a story. Morals are for religious texts and other profound sources of truths that we may look to for guidance and solace. Good literature can't be reduced to a straightforward moral; it is in its complexities that we find ourselves.
Note 2: Do not Google this. I want to hear your thoughts, not someone else's.