The insoluble conflict of the racial divide – white and black – in Nella Larsen’s novels Passing and Quicksand

Luciane Oliveira Müller

doi:10.15448/1984-4301.2016.s.22391

Abstract

Este trabalho apresenta uma leitura dos romances Quicksand e Passing na sala de aula focando nas questões de raça e conflitos de passing. Esses romances foram publicados, respectivamente em 1928 e 1929, pela escritora Afro- mericana Nella Larsen durante o movimento cultural e estético chamado Harlem Renaissance, um movimento cujo apogeu aconteceu nos anos 20 do século passado provocando a elevação da consciência racial e a emergência da literatura Afro-americana. Nesta década, a experiência de passing constituía um dos temas privilegiados em alguns romances de escritores Afro-americanos. Minha análise se sustenta na obra de Thadious M. Davis, Elaine K. Ginsber e Martha J. Cutter em relação a conflitos raciais e identitários. No entrelaçamento de elementos psicológicos e culturais, minha leitura mostra como esses romances dramatizam o conflito insolúvel da raça dividida – branca e negra – que destaca as lutas e dificuldades das personagens quando se deparam com o vazio do pertencimento do qual trata a experiência de passing. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo abordar e discutir em sala de aula o aspecto cultural de conflitos raciais que é algo sempre atual e relevante.

Highlights

Why is it important to bring to class novels approaching delicate and complex issues like racial conflicts? To answer this question, first of all, I draw support from the words professor and researcher of Critical Discourse Analysis, Teun A. van Dijk, used when he asserted at the opening lecture at DUO VII (Dialogue Under Occupation)2 that “prejudice and racism are not innate
This work proposes a reading and a discussion of an African-American novelist named Nella Larsen. Her social context and novels can be seen as a document of African-American society of twentieth century
They were represented as stereotyped characters in movies, and advertisements, as well as ridiculed in minstrel’s shows. For any reason, they disobeyed those codes of law, they would suffer physical abuse or ended up lynched. Due to this hostile atmosphere, and with the outbreak of the great depression after World War I, a large number of African-Americans decided to migrate from South to North aiming at better life conditions

Summary

Introduction

Why is it important to bring to class novels approaching delicate and complex issues like racial conflicts? To answer this question, first of all, I draw support from the words professor and researcher of Critical Discourse Analysis, Teun A. van Dijk, used when he asserted at the opening lecture at DUO VII (Dialogue Under Occupation) that “prejudice and racism are not innate. If differences between black and white people are ‘cultural’, they are open to modification, and change If they are ‘natural’ – as the slave-holders believed – they are beyond history, permanent and fixed” Of their position as educators in order to enhance knowledge, consciousness and critical thinking For this reason, this work proposes a reading and a discussion of an African-American novelist named Nella Larsen. This work proposes a reading and a discussion of an African-American novelist named Nella Larsen Her social context and novels can be seen as a document of African-American society of twentieth century. This is a very rich material to bring to class in order to illustrated racial conflicts. I am going to introduce Nella Larsen’s social context, secondly, I am going to present pieces of her biography and, thirdly, her novels will be discussed

Larsen’s Social Context

Nella Larsen

Larsen’s novels