Quicksand By Nella Larsen - 1323 Words

The first encounter with Helga Crane, Nella Larsen’s protagonist in the novel Quicksand, introduces the heroine unwinding after a day of work in a dimly lit room. She is alone. And while no one else is present in the room, Helga is accompanied by her own thoughts, feelings, and her worrisome perceptions of the world around her. Throughout the novel, it becomes clear that most of Helga’s concerns revolve around two issues- race and sex. Even though there are many human character antagonists that play a significant role in the novel and in the story of Helga Crane, such as her friends, coworkers, relatives, and ultimately even her own children, her race and her sexuality become Helga’s biggest challenges. These two taxing antagonists†¦show more content†¦Larsen uses this lacerating metaphor to jaggedly attack the attitudes and beliefs of Booker T. Washington, who sought to form schools to train blacks for specific occupations in low-skilled fields and â₠¬Å"believed racial agitation was a course for disaster† (Hill 6). Helga credits her unease at Naxos to â€Å"a quality within herself† that she cannot understand (Larsen 12). Helga soon confesses her bi-racial frustration to the principal, Dr. Anderson, but only after becoming disturbed by her sexual attraction towards him. Helga’s first confrontation with Dr. Anderson almost leaves her speechless! Larsen describes Helga’s reaction as an â€Å"inward confusion† that felt to her â€Å"like hysteria† (Larsen 18). Larsen again only hints at this attraction, in an indirect manner. A careful analysis of the text, however, will make her point obvious. Larsen illustrates Helga’s sexual temptation regarding Dr. Anderson with clever insinuations. As their conversation develops, Helga is overcome by a â€Å"mystifying yearning† that â€Å"throbbed in her† (Larsen 20). Larsen uses words, such as â€Å"desire† and â€Å"urgeà ¢â‚¬  in conjunction with Helga’s inner thoughts to delicately express Helga’s sexual enticement in the wake of Anderson’s charm (Larsen 20). It is in this meeting with Anderson that Helga’s sexual feelings clash with her bi-racial insecurity. The resulting emotions from this inner conflict leave Helga with a sense of â€Å"lacerated pride† thatShow MoreRelatedQuicksand by Nella Larsen544 Words   |  2 PagesIn the book the complete fiction of Nella Larsen –Quicksand she referred to one particular character which is Helga Crane who is a beautiful young teacher in Naxos. Naxos is and southern American boarding school for African American children. Helga Crane was almost always having psychological debates with the new principle at the school about racism and how the children are being treated. Eventually Helga has had enough of things not going her way and makes the courageous decision to move to ChicagoRead MoreEssay on Quicksand, by Nella Larsen2470 Words   |  10 Pageswriter who led the way for future black writers was Nella Larsen, author of the story Quicksand. Nella Larsen was born in 1891 in Chicago, the daughter of a white woman from Denmark and a black man from West India (Britannica.com). After her father’s death when she was just two, Larsen became a source of embarrassment for her family because the man her mother then married was white (About.com). After attending high school in Nashville, Larsen lived in Copenhagen a few years before becoming a nurseRead MoreAnalysis Of Quicksand By Nella Larsen1202 Words   |  5 PagesAs John F. Kennedy once said, â€Å"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth†. The novel Quicksand by Nella Larsen chronicles the plight of a young, racially mixed woman struggling with alienation during the Harlem Renaissance. The female protagonist, Helga Crane, born to a Danish mother and West Indian father, was abandoned and disowned by both her mother and father. Larsen wrote the novel in a time during which racial uplift was promoted and it was expected of women to comply wi thRead MoreThe Tragic Fate of an Unrequited Childhood in Quicksand by Nella Larsen911 Words   |  4 PagesThe Tragic Fate of an Unrequited Childhood in Quicksand by Nella Larsen In reading Quicksand written by Nella Larsen one may come to the end of the book with a reaction much like†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢what!’† Then, in frustration, throw the book down, lean an aggravated head back, and continue to ponder the books in its entirety. One may wonder how a promising life could end in such a sad way. Where did Helga Crane go wrong? What could she have done differently? Along with these questions, a reader may feelRead MoreCharacter Analysis of Helga Crane in Nella Larsen ´s Quicksand2961 Words   |  12 Pagesprotagonist of Nella Larsens Quicksand. She loses herself in the sudden streaming rhythm and delights in the sexually suggestive moves of the dancers. Helga is blown out, ripped out, beaten out by the joyous, wild, murky orchestra in a moment suggestive of a sexual climax. But when the music fades, Helga returns to reality and asserts that she wasnt, she told herself, a jungle creature. Helga feels this struggle between sexual freedom and rest raint throughout the novel. As Larsen shows in theRead More`` Imitation Of Life `` By Nella Larsen s, Quicksand And Passing, The Issue Of Passing985 Words   |  4 PagesIn the â€Å"Imitation of Life† and in Nella Larsen’s novellas, Quicksand and Passing, the issue of passing is presented and developed. In Passing, regarding Irene, â€Å"She wished to find out about this hazardous business of ‘passing,’ this breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly to take one’s chances in another environment, not entirely strange, perhaps, but certainly not entirely friendly† (Larsen 157). Both versions of the film and both novellas portray black women who come face to faceRead MoreI Really Enjoyed By Nella Larsen1319 Words   |  6 PagesI really enjoyed â€Å"Quicksand† by Nella Larsen, it is a story about biracial woman, Helga Crane, whose mother is Danish and father is black man. Both of them are gone or dead, so she kind of have been passed around her whole life. As an adult she is looking for fulfillment and a place where she feels like she fits in. The title â€Å"Quicksand† gave me an idea about how the story works, Helga repeatedly decides to go somewhere to move on with her life and hopefully be happy, but she would eventually getRead MoreThe Characterisation of the Heroines in The Bell Jar and Quicksand2372 Words   |  10 PagesJar by Sylvia Plath and Quicksand by Nella Larsen? Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know ============================== How does the authors treatment of relationships effect the characterisation of the heroines in The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Quicksand by Nella Larsen? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This essay will compare the ways in which the novels The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Quicksand by Nella Larsen deal with relationships, Read MoreHarlem Renaissance : A Rebirth Of African American Culture And Art1578 Words   |  7 Pagesmulatto, Nella Larsen showcased the struggling and miserable life of mixed-blood people. Published at the zenith of the Harlem Renaissance, Quicksand does not rhapsodize over the revival of African American culture. Instead, this piece of writing aimed at describing the inherent characteristic of the society. Nella Larsen was not productive in the field of literature, but most of her writings were highly praised by critics and scholars. Alice Walker, a famous black feminist, commended Quicksand for itsRead More Helgas Problem With Commitment in Nella Larsens Quicksand Essay1372 Words   |  6 PagesHelgas Problem With Commitment in Nella Larsens Quicksand In Nella Larsens Quicksand, Helga Crane passively opts out of situations; her actions are consistently reactionary. Helga’s anxiety is the figurative â€Å"quicksand† in which she sinks throughout the novel: Helga is too afraid to commit to a decision and thus flees geographically, failing to realize she can not find happiness through avoiding decisions. Naxos is the first place Helga leaves to flee from commitments. Her engagement