It provides an insight into how the intersection of gender, race, and class have contributed to Helga’s unhappiness.ĭuring her endeavors to find happiness, it is evident that Helga’s efforts are met with futility and displeasure. This essay identifies and explains the theme of happiness, as depicted in the novel Quicksand by Nella Larsen. Helga loses her will while on her journey to seek happiness since the search progressively becomes unbearable for an erudite biracial woman. This definition of joy and contentment seems incomprehensible by the primary character, as seen in the obstacles faced by a woman of color living in the 1900s.
In the end, Helga seems convinced that happiness can be found in a place where she is accepted as an intelligent being regardless of her biracial origin. Throughout the novel, she remains in a constant search for happiness. To achieve this objective, Helga needs to recognize her feelings instead of shutting them. Nonetheless, the novel conveys that one should act persistently and attempt to find solutions to problems rather than evading them. Helga’s life is full of phenomenal shifts that leave her unhappy and disgruntled. She pioneered writing about the conflicts of sexuality, race and the secret suffering of women in the early twentieth century.The theme of happiness is derived from the life of Helga Crane, a protagonist whose journey to seek happiness has been disrupted by racial discrimination. Nella Larsen's novels are moving, characterful, and important books. Reconnecting in adulthood, Clare has chosen to live as a white woman, while Irene embraces black culture and has an important role in her community.
Written a year later, Passing tells the story of two childhood friends, Clare and Irene, both light skinned enough to pass as white.
Quicksand, written in 1928, is an autobiographical novel about Helga Crane, a mixed race woman caught between fulfilling her desires and gaining respectability in her middle class neighbourhood. Critically acclaimed, both speak powerfully of the contradictions and restrictions experienced by black women at that time. Now a major motion picture starring Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga and Alexander Skarsgard.Ī writer of the Harlem Renaissance, Nella Larsen wrote just two novels, published here, and a handful of short stories.
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