This finding sets up the approach by white readers to interpret negative characteristics as a black quality. But how would black readers attempt to distinguish own race?.
Having survived the older girls' tyranny, being shunned by the "real orphans,"" and visitation of their drastically different mothers, the two girls succeeded in forming some semblance of a friendship within the walls of St. Bonny's. This relationship took hold in the isolation the institution provided, in spite of the racial tension building in the country. The story picks back up eight years later with Twyla working behind the counter at a Howard Johnson restaurant near Kingston, New York. Coincidentally, Roberta and "two guys smothered in head and facial hair"" chose this establishment as their stop-off, en route to a meeting with Jimi Hendrix. Far away from their bubble of societal isolation, but rather, interacting in the midst of a racially tense world, the encounter does not provide the nostalgic ambiance of a run-in with a childhood friend. .
The narrator is unaware of the separation of race because of the frequency she sees blacks and whites commingling in their walks from the bus station. On the other hand, her old roommate is fully aware of racial and social status, and we can see this in her rudeness and shunning demeanor directed at the narrator. Ending abruptly and certainly without an opportunity to reminisce, there are a few cues that draw our attention in continuing the effort of racial distinction. The cultural implication of not knowing Jimi Hendrix may suggest that, "Twyla is an uninformed and uninterested white girl"" (Li-li 814). This interaction seems to be a depiction of more appealing characteristics attributed to the black culture.
The narrative picks up twelve years later at the Food Emporium in Newburgh, New York. This encounter begins in stark contrast to the last, as the narrator is spotted and called out to by her old roommate.
