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Summary Of The Vanishing Half By Brit Bennett

1491 Words6 Pages

Brit Bennett's work "The Vanishing Half," which delves deeply into the themes of race and identity in America, creates a great story. The story explores the lives of the twin Vignes sisters, who decide to live in two very different racial environments: one where she passes for white women in a society that is unaware of her past, and the other where she lives as a Black woman in the town where she grew up. A dramatic examination of the malleability of racial identity and the consequences of making decisions that go against social norms is made possible by this striking contrast. The idea of race as a social construct, which opposes the idea of race as a permanent, biological fact, is one of the main bases that sits at the center of Bennett's …show more content…

Bennett starts a dialogue about race in her book by illustrating how racial identity can be intertwined with our histories, aspirations, and quest for identity. The book makes us reflect carefully on how race and identity impact our lives by telling a compelling story that resonates with current conversations about these …show more content…

It explores the clash of light and dark, which has an impact on the personalities of the protagonists. The community responds with amazement and disgust when Desiree returns to Mallard with her dark-skinned daughter Jude, exposing the town's racist attitudes: "I never seen a child that black before" (Bennett, 10). Not to mention, Stella's choice to pass for white emphasizes the social pressures and the extent people will go to in order to follow these rules in order to be accepted and given privileges. Her existence in the white society illustrates the clear distinctions and advantages of passing for white as compared to her place of origin: “Twin girls creamy skin hazel eyes wavy hair. He would have marveled at them. For the child to be a little more perfect than the parents. What could be more wonderful than that?” (Bennett,

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