An Uncomfortable Ending

Dear Nella Larsen,

At the end of your novel Quicksand, the main character, Helga Crane, is left deeply discontented. Married to a man she hates and having failed to find a sense of belonging as a biracial woman, Helga longs for a freedom that she will (in all likelihood) never know. What was your intention in writing such an unhappy, uncomfortable ending? Do you mean to suggest that biracial people will never find true happiness? That they will never find a place where they belong? Or did you mean to suggest nothing at all? Was it simply reflective of your own experiences as a biracial woman?

I would like to think that each person can find happiness and belonging in their life, regardless of their race; however, I don’t know what it’s like to be biracial. I imagine that walking with one foot in two worlds would come with complex and difficult emotions, much like those that Helga wrestles with in Quicksand—but I don’t know that this difficulty automatically dooms any given biracial person to Helga’s sad fate. Aren’t we each in control of our own destinies? Isn’t there still some hope to be had?

Sincerely,

Annabel Chosy

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