Final answer:
Option (c), Toni Morrison develops themes in 'Recitatif' using flashbacks, motifs, and symbolism, with the title itself suggesting a blend of narration and speech.
Step-by-step explanation:
Toni Morrison develops the theme in her 1983 short story, Recitatif, primarily through flashbacks. These flashbacks serve as a narrative technique that allows readers to explore the past experiences of the main characters, Twyla and Roberta, deepening the understanding of their relationship and the evolution of social and racial issues over time. Morrison expertly utilizes motifs and symbolism, such as the recurrent setting of the St. Bonny's orphanage, to suggest themes of memory, identity, and the ambiguity of racial divisions. The title Recitatif itself, which refers to a style of delivering vocals in a rhythm akin to speech, hints at the blend of narrative and dialogue that characterizes the storytelling method and the way personal histories intertwine to shape individual perspectives.
In Recitatif, Morrison's development of theme doesn't readily fall into categories such as solely using symbolism or dialogue but crafts a more complex interplay of several literary techniques. By examining recurring elements, or motifs, like the shelter they both lived in as children, readers can discern deeper themes related to cultural identity and recollection.
Moreover, Morrison's postmodernist approach in Recitatif includes aspects of historical revisionism, challenging the characters' memories and how they reinterpret past events, which can be seen as a form of irony about the reliability of memory and perception.