Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Quicksand, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Race, Segregation, and Society
Mixed-Race Identity
Racial Shame and Emotional Repression
Race, Beauty, and Exoticism
Religion, Poverty, and Oppression
Summary
Analysis
The dinner party is winding down, and everybody is in the mood to go out. After some cajoling, Helga finds herself crammed into a taxi and headed to a jazz club. The night is buzzing with energy, and despite Helga’s reluctance, she can’t help but be drawn in by the jazz club’s jovial, sultry, smoky energy. She observes the “moving mosaic” of diverse people, who are “sooty black, shiny black, taupe, mahogany, bronze, copper, gold, orange, yellow, peach, ivory, pinky white pasty white.” Their features are a blend of African, European, and Asian.
Larsen emphasizes two things with her descriptions of the people in the jazz club. First, that American society is incredibly diverse, which Larsen shows through her descriptions of people’s skin tones, features, and Helga’s speculations about their ethnic origins. Larsen implies that mixed-race people would not feel so out of place if the American society of her time recognized and celebrated its racial diversity instead of categorizing people as either black or white. Second, Larsen’s vivid descriptions of the colorful “moving mosaic” suggests that diversity is beautiful, which supports her larger aim of developing an aesthetic for beauty that doesn’t just mimic whiteness.
Themes
Helga’s eyes scan the room, and she notices Dr. Anderson sitting with a “lovely,” “creamy” and “golden” skinned girl. Anne hisses to Helga that the girl is a “disgusting creature” named Audrey Denney, who “goes about with white people” even though she’s “colored.” Helga is confused at Anne’s anger, but decides to let it go. Anne won’t let it go, however, and becomes even more irate as she discusses Audrey’s parties where black and white people mix. Helga finds Anne’s comments sickening, but holds her tongue. Helga watches Audrey Denney dance with Dr. Anderson. As they move closer together, Helga feels her “heart throbbing” and runs out of the club. She gets into a taxi, feeling “forlorn.”
Larsen’s physical description of Audrey Denney as both “creamy” and “golden” implies that she, like Helga and Mrs. Hayes-Rore, is likely mixed-race. As before, Larsen describes Audrey as “lovely” to emphasize her unique beauty. Anne’s comments expose her racism: she thinks that interracial relationships are wrong, which implies that Helga is somehow immoral for existing as a mixed-race person. Helga, once again, avoids a confrontation by suppressing her anger at Anne and leaving, just as she did with her feelings for Dr. Anderson. In pushing all her feelings away, Helga ends up with nothing but a sense of pain and loss, or “forlorn.”
Themes
