Heroine's Journey in Quicksand
In Quicksand, Helga Crane's story maps almost seamlessly onto the heroine's journey as outlined by Murdock. One prime example is of the "Healing Mother/Daughter Split" stage--the moment when the heroine tries to heal the wounds of earlier separation and reclaim parts of her identity--which is apparent in Helga's journey to Copenhagen. After being deserted by Uncle Peter's new wife and told how much she inconveniences their family (pg. 26), Helga officially loses her last real connection to her mom's side in America. Struggling to find a job and solely support herself, she briefly finds employment under Mrs. Hayes-Rore--which leads her to Harlem and more permanent accommodations. There, Helga feels the pressure to completely conceal her white family ties and mixed-race identity, fearing judgment from friends who view association with white people as betrayal. Even with the false sense of comfort of a community, Helga feels incomplete--her sense of belonging is built on hiding rather than acceptance, creating internal conflict.
Helga's emotional facade unravels when Dr. Anderson remarks that she is "still searching" for something (pg. 47). His observation forces Helga to confront the issues in her life which she has tried to overlook. Shortly after, she receives a letter from Uncle Peter, confirming the severing of their relationship and including five thousand dollars (allocated to her in his will) for her to visit her Aunt Katrina (pg. 50), who longs to see her. This moment marks the complicated rekindling of her family connections on her mother's side--an attempt to reclaim a sense of wholeness and familial belonging she had lost in America.
In Copenhagen, she is warmly taken in by her aunt and uncle, and able to experience all sorts of luxuries. Instead of finding unconditional love, Helga becomes a living ornament, adorned in brightly colored, scandalously cut dresses to emphasize her exoticness and allure a wealthy husband to allow her aunt and uncle to climb the social ladder. Although Helga was seeking warmth and acceptance, she finds herself being objectified and fetishized. Realizing that she has still not fully embraced all parts of herself, Helga understands she must return to Harlem, experiencing it through a new lens as the home of her father. Only by learning to understand her father's perspective and appreciating his culture can she move to the next step of Murdock's Heroine's Journey, "Healing Wounded Masculine."
Viewing Quicksand through the Heroine's journey narrative allows us to see Helga piecing together her fractured identity in a world which offers only conditional belonging. Through the hardships, Helga strives to be the truest versions of herself and mend the divide in race, family, and self-perception. Even though the Copenhagen fantasy crumbles, her experience marks a crucial step toward the deeper integration Murdock's Heroine's Journey centers on.
Hey Noor!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I loved how you included images of not only the Quicksand book but the play’s interpretation of the novel. I didn’t realize there was a play based on Helga Crane’s story! This addition allowed me to visualize Quicksand as not only a written work, but a tangible representation of Helga Crane as a three-dimensional character. I also enjoyed your comparison of Quicksand to Maureen Murdock’s heroine’s journey: I think you do a great job at providing evidence to support your claims.