Racial Ambiguity, Masking, and Masquerading in the Novels of N. Larsen, J. R. Fauset, and F. Hurst Diplomarbeit zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades einer Magistra der Philosophie An der Geisteswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz vorgelegt von Kerstin EDLER Am Institut für Amerikanistik Begutachter: Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Walter W. Hölbling Graz, 2009 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 6 2. Racial Ambiguity as the Result of America’s Racial Politics ............................ 7 2.1 Historical Background ....................................................................................... 7 2.1.1 The One-Drop Rule ..................................................................................... 8 2.1.2 Jim Crow Segregation ............................................................................... 10 2.2 The Trope of the 'Marginal Man' ...................................................................... 11 3. The 'Mulatto/a' Figure in Literature as a Mirror of America’s Racial Politics ..................................................................................................................... 12 3.1 The Trope of the 'Tragic Mulatta' ..................................................................... 12 3.2 Ways of Solving the Dilemma of Their Mulatto/a Existence ............................ 15 4. The Trope of 'Passing' ....................................................................................... 16 4.1 'Passing' as a Phenomenon of the 'Color Line' ................................................ 16 4.2 The Trope of 'Passing' in Literature ................................................................. 18 5. The Trope of the 'Mask' ...................................................................................... 20 6. The Harlem Renaissance as the Source of a New Black Racial Consciousness.........................................................................................................22 6.1 Historical Background ..................................................................................... 22 6.1.1 The Impact of the 'Great Urban Migration' ................................................ 23 6.2 The Importance of Harlem ............................................................................... 24 6.3 The Main Contributors to the Harlem Renaissance Movement ....................... 25 6.4 The Origins of the New Negro Movement in Literature ................................... 26 6.5 The Term 'Harlem Renaissance' ..................................................................... 27 6.6 The Impact of the Harlem Renaissance on Literature ..................................... 27 6.7 African American Women Writers in the Harlem Renaissance ........................ 28 2 7. The Importance of Nella Larsen’s Fiction Within the Harlem Renaissance ............................................................................................................ 30 7.1 Larsen, an Acclaimed New Negro Woman Writer ........................................... 30 7.2 Major Themes in Nella Larsen‟s Novels .......................................................... 31 7.2.1 Racial Ambiguity ....................................................................................... 31 7.2.1.1 'Passing' .............................................................................................. 32 7.2.1.2 Mask and Masquerade ....................................................................... 33 7.2.2 Sexuality and the Treatment of Sexual Taboos ......................................... 33 7.2.3 Marriage .................................................................................................... 34 7.3 Nella Larsen‟s Biography ................................................................................ 34 7.3.1 Nella Larsen‟s Own Racial Ambiguity Reflected in Her Fiction ................. 37 7.4 Quicksand ....................................................................................................... 38 7.4.1 A Critical Overview of Quicksand .............................................................. 38 7.4.2 Plot Summary ............................................................................................ 40 7.4.3 Analysis of Quicksand with Special Emphasis on Racial Ambiguity, Mask, and Masquerade ...................................................................................... 42 7.4.3.1 The Origins of Helga Crane‟s Racial Ambiguity .................................. 42 7.4.3.2 The Various Phases and Roles in Helga‟s Racially Ambiguous Life .................................................................................................................. 44 7.5 Nella Larsen‟s Passing .................................................................................... 63 7.5.1 Plot Summary ............................................................................................ 63 7.5.2 Plot Analysis of Passing with Special Emphasis on Racial Ambiguity, Mask, and Masquerade ...................................................................................... 65 7.5.2.1 The Influence of Clare Kendry‟s Childhood on Her Racially Mixed Feelings .......................................................................................................... 65 7.5.2.2 The Influence of Irene Redfield‟s Childhood on Her Racial Ambiguity ........................................................................................................ 67 7.5.2.3 The Influence of Irene‟s Marriage on Her Racial Ambivalence ........... 67 7.5.2.4 The Impact of Clare‟s Marriage on Her Racial Ambiguity ................... 70 3 7.5.2.5 The Development of Irene Redfield‟s and Clare Kendry‟s Racial Ambiguity as the Novel Progresses……………………………………………….72 7.5.2.6 Mask and Masquerade in the Novel.................................................... 81 7.8 Conclusion....................................................................................................... 83 8. Jessie Redmon Fauset ....................................................................................... 86 8.1 Jessie Redmon Fauset: Her Life, Her Career, and Her World Views .............. 86 8.2 Plum Bun: A Critical Overview ......................................................................... 88 8.3 Plot Summary .................................................................................................. 90 8.4 Analysis of Plum Bun with Special Emphasis on Racial Ambiguity, Mask, and Masquerade………………………………………………………………….92 8.4.1 Mattie Murray ............................................................................................ 92 8.4.2 Angela Murray ........................................................................................... 95 8.4.2.1 The Process of 'Passing' and the Gradual Expansion of Consciousness ............................................................................................... 98 9. Fannie Hurst ...................................................................................................... 108 9.1 Life and Career .............................................................................................. 108 9.2 Fannie Hurst‟s Fiction .................................................................................... 110 9.3 Imitation of Life .............................................................................................. 112 9.3.1 Plot Summary .......................................................................................... 112 9.3.2 Analysis of Imitation of Life with Special Emphasis on Racial Ambiguity, Mask, and Masquerade .................................................................. 113 9.3.3 'Passing'as the Ultimate Solution to Peola‟s Racial Ambiguity ................ 120 9.3.4 Masking and Masquerading in Imitation of Life ....................................... 123 9.3.5 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 125 10. Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 128 10.1 Their Childhood as the Origin of Their Racial Ambiguity ............................. 129 10.2 The Way Their Racial Ambiguity Affects Their Relationships ...................... 130 10.3 Their Loneliness and Solitariness ................................................................ 132 4 10.4 Their Search for Their 'True' Identity; Their Masking and Masquerading…………………………………………………………………………...133 11. Bibliography .................................................................................................... 137 5 1. Introduction I analysed Nella Larsen‟s Passing while participating in a seminar on American literature a couple of years ago, and the ambivalence of the two bi-racial heroines and the theme of 'passing' fascinated me. As the subject of 'passing' had been dealt with all too often already, I decided to focus my thesis on 'mulatta figures' in literature. With Nella Larsen‟s Passing and Quicksand, Jessie Fauset‟s Plum Bun, and Fannie Hurst‟s Imitation of Life, I soon found what I had been looking for and Prof. Hölbling agreed with "Racial Ambiguity, Masking, and Masquerading in the Novels of Nella Larsen, Jessie Redmon Fauset, and Fannie Hurst" as the title of my thesis. My main argument is that racial ambiguity is deeply rooted in America‟s racial politics in history, and