Quicksand

Reflection on Nella Larsen’s “Quicksand”

     I agree with several of the students in the class that this may not have been one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read, however it is one of the best books that we have discussed. I think that there are several reasons that Larsen wrote this book. One she wanted to bring enlightenment to the plight of the Black Woman.

     First I think that Larson told a story of a woman of mixed race and how she seemed never to figure out who she was or where she belonged. She struggled with her identity and even her nationality. Was she a white woman? Was she a Black woman? Was she more American or was she Danish? Having a black father who deserted her and her mother as an early age and then a step family who was not like her, then the white mother dying, this poor child hardly knew what or who she was.

    Second I think that Larson wanted to show the conflict between the “upper” class black and the rest of the black female population. In the book Helga began as a young educator who didn’t fit in because of her uppity ways then went to her being among the elite to again being poor.  During this process Larson showed how even when Helga obtained wealth and freedom to do what she wished to do she was captive within herself and of her own doing.

     Third Larson showed the issue between black men and women and the attitudes of the time. She allowed us to watch as Helga has interested men of different statues and professions approach her and her attitude in which she rejected them. Larson also took us on a wild ride with her allowing Helga to marry a rather unattractive preacher and we really don’t understand the complete reasoning.

    One of the lines in the book refers to her mixed lineage and how “it was hard on the children.” I think that this issue is one of the main ones. What I find interesting is that the conflict does not come from the outside, it comes from within. Helga didn’t seem to know which race to align herself with. Was she a white or black woman? There didn’t seem to any nitch for a mixed woman. Larson explored this tumultuous attitude within Helga and allowed us to examine the crux of the matter, which is a belonging to a people or having a culture identity.  

     In the community that I live in there are now quite a few children who are of mixed races, black-white, white-Hispanic, and black-Hispanic. (It is interesting that spell check made me capitalize Hispanic not black or white) When this first began to happen there was a good deal of “talk” about the children and how would they handle being neither black nor white. The talk was especially about which culture the child would follow. In all honesty this did accrued. There was one of the first young girls who came of age and this issue was very difficult for her. In fact she tried to commit suicide. Her parents could not decide whether to stay together or not, her grandparents (white) were ashamed of their daughter’s predicament, and the boys didn’t know if they wanted to date her or not. Long story short, she worked this out with help and she is a healthy young mother who just recently got married and has returned to college. So proud of her!

Twenty something years down the line the children of mixed race that are in our community are not completely free from these issues, but the conflicts are less and the acceptance is abundant.

     I think that Larson explored a lot of different aspects of life as a multiracial girl. She did a good job of expressing the conflicts and allowing us to discuss the reasons behind this story.