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Summary Of Quicksand By Nella Larsen

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Quicksand, the novel by Nella Larsen, delves into the hardships of African-American women to create a persona for themselves that is not comprised of stereotypes thrown at them from society’s word. The heroine of this story, Helga Crane, attempts to do this throughout the book. She herself is torn between two definitions of two separate races, which causes her to struggle to find her own home. There are two points of the story that contribute to illustrate her inner struggle to identify with her race. Her struggle to identify with her mixed race is seen in conversations with Anne. For example: , “Even the gentle Anne distressed her. Perhaps because Anne was obsessed by the race problem and fed her obsession”(44) She struggles to not only connect with herself but also the problem she faces with just one side of her race. Yet she herself appears very hypocritical because she …show more content…

Striking things,exotic things. You must make an impression.”(62). This creates this idea that she has to act in a way that is foreign to her, rather than act in a way she desires to act. There is this heavy undertone that she has to present herself in an accepted manner due to her mixed race. In addition, she chooses to leave Denmark despite the fact her family was letting her stay for quite some time.“Good-bye Denmark! Good-bye. Good-bye!”(87). She seems so happy to leave her home in Denmark, yet she leaves this home since she is leaving behind one half of her mixed race. This half would be her white half since she seems unwelcomed with her family. She is constantly moving about from one place to another that she can find her true race. This constant movement makes it harder for herself identify with both sides of her race since she can never feel comfortable with just one

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1920’s society offered a prominent way for blacks that look white to exploit its barrier and pass in society. Visible within Nella Larsen’s Passing, access to the regular world exists only for those who fit the criteria of white skin and white husband. Through internal conflict and characterization, the novella reveals deception slowly devours the deceitful. In Passing, Clare and Irene both deceive people. They both engage in deceit by having the ability to pass when they are not of the proper race to do so.

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I will be taking a postmodern approach to the text and supplementing it with modernism and psychoanalytic theories before stating my final stance that postmodernism may be the most appropriate approach. This approach ensures that different perspectives are present in my analysis and ensures that it is not one-sided. The question that I hope to focus my argument on is “Does the postmodernist approach better emerge the idea of self from racism?” Rottenberg, Catherine. " Passing : Race, Identification, and Desire. " Criticism, vol. 45, no. 4, 2004, pp. 435-452.

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In Nella Larsen’s novel Passing, the question of racial identity and racial pride is presented through several characters who struggle with their own identity and with the identities of others. We are presented with two opposing sides of the color line through Irene and Jack, who both stand firmly by their respective races. These two, who would otherwise be oblivious of the other, are brought together through their relationship with Clare, whose ability to pass upsets their view that race is stagnant and resolute. Although Irene and Jack condemn passing and act to reinforce the color line, they are nevertheless attracted to Clare and enamored by her charm and mystique. Something about her draws out similarities between them, and, though they

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As Hostetler points out Quicksand “is a meditation on color: gowns of shivering apricot; sunsets of pink and mauve light; the turquoise eyes of fellow travelers” (35). In Quicksand (1928) Larsen not only explores the modernity of New African American racial identity, but also expresses the concerns of the female “mulattos” who struggle with their “biracial” identities in s country that is sharply divided by color line. “This is the story of the struggle of an interesting cultured Negro woman against her environment,” writes Thronton (287). The novel begins with Helga’s teaching at an African American school called Naxos, but she

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