Modified Scene Larsons Quicksand

In Response to Morrison a Modified Scene from Nella Larson’s Quicksand

In response to Toni Morrison’s comment from Playing in the Dark, “My early assumptions as a reader were that black people signified little or nothing in the imagination of white writers,”(15) I have selected a piece by Nella Larson a black author, Quicksand and her protagonist Helga Crane a multi-racial character struggling with identity. I have chosen the following scene in an attempt to see how a black author handles color and race issues. Following the brief scene, I will reconstruct the scene removing all inflammatory words to make the prose less offensive.

“She would not have desired or even been willing to live in any section outside the black belt, and she would have refused scornfully, had they been tendered, any invitation from white folk. She hated white people with a deep and burning hatred, with the kind of hatred which, finding itself held in sufficiently numerous groups, was capable some day, on some great provocation, of bursting into dangerously malignant flames. But she aped their clothes, their manners, and their gracious ways of living. While proclaiming loudly the undiluted good of all things Negro, she yet disliked the songs, the dances, and the softly blurred speech of the race. Toward these things she showed only a disdainful contempt, tinged sometimes with a faint amusement. Like the despised people of the white race, she preferred Pavlova to Florence Mills, John McCormack to Taylor Gordon, Walter Hampden to Paul Robeson. Theoretically, however, she stood for the revolt against social inequality. Helga had been entertained by the racial ardor in one so little affected by racial prejudice as Anne, and by her inconsistencies” (Larson, 51.)

She would not have desired or even been willing to live in any section outside the Bible belt, and she would have returned, had they been tendered, any invitation from heathen folk. She shied away from sinful people with a deep and melodic repetition of scripture, with the kind of reverence expecting, one day as in the time of Jonas to see the heathens swallowed up like Nineveh. However, she pitied their clothes, their manners, and their poor ways of living. While rejoicing loudly the undiluted good of all things Christian, she yet disliked the songs, the dances, and the softly blurred praise of the other groups. Toward these things, she showed only a singular tunnel like vision focused on her one true belief. She preferred Mathew to Malachi, John to Joshua, and Revelations to Daniel. Theoretically, however, she stood for the reunification of all God’s people to the eternal kingdom. Helga had been concerned by the religious confusion in one so well informed as Anne, and by her inconsistencies.

I have taken all of the words having to do with race and color and have replaced them with religious terms. I think in doing so however I have completely changed the meaning of the text. This causes me to believe, that regardless of the color of the author, black or white, Asian or Indian, the changing of literature to make it read more politically correct is never a good thing.



Works Cited:

Larsen, Nella. Quicksand. New York: Penguin, 1987. 51.

Morrison, Toni. Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination. New York: Vintage, 1992. 15.