The Vanishing Half
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17
Themes
All Themes Race and Identity Loss, Memory, and Inheritance Companionship, Support, and Independence Class and Privilege
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Desiree Vignes Stella Vignes Jude Vignes Kennedy Sanders Reese Blake Sanders Adele Vignes Early Loretta Walker Reginald Walker Sam Ceel Barry Alphonse Decuir Leon Vignes Frantz
Symbols
All Symbols Stella’s Wedding Ring The Photograph
Download PDF
Download Teacher Edition
The LitCharts.com logo.
Sign In Sign up for A+
The LitCharts.com logo.
AI Tools
  • Ask LitCharts AI
  • Discussion Question Generator
  • Essay Prompt Generator
  • Quiz Question Generator
Guides Guides
  • Literature Guides
  • Poetry Guides
  • Shakespeare Translations
  • Literary Terms
Sign In Sign up for A+ Sign up

The Vanishing Half

by Brit Bennett
Upgrade to A+
Introduction Intro
Plot Summary Plot
Summary & Analysis
  • Chapter 1
  • Chapter 2
  • Chapter 3
  • Chapter 4
  • Chapter 5
  • Chapter 6
  • Chapter 7
  • Chapter 8
  • Chapter 9
  • Chapter 10
  • Chapter 11
  • Chapter 12
  • Chapter 13
  • Chapter 14
  • Chapter 15
  • Chapter 16
  • Chapter 17
Themes
  • All Themes
  • Race and Identity Theme Icon
    Race and Identity
  • Loss, Memory, and Inheritance Theme Icon
    Loss, Memory, and Inheritance
  • Companionship, Support, and Independence Theme Icon
    Companionship, Support, and Independence
  • Class and Privilege Theme Icon
    Class and Privilege
Quotes
Characters
  • All Characters
  • Desiree Vignes
  • Stella Vignes
  • Jude Vignes
  • Kennedy Sanders
  • Reese
  • Blake Sanders
  • Adele Vignes
  • Early
  • Loretta Walker
  • Reginald Walker
  • Sam
  • Ceel
  • Barry
  • Alphonse Decuir
  • Leon Vignes
  • Frantz
Symbols
  • All Symbols
  • Stella’s Wedding Ring Symbol Icon
    Stella’s Wedding Ring
  • The Photograph Symbol Icon
    The Photograph
Theme Wheel Theme Viz
Download this Chart (PDF)
Download the Teacher Edition
Download this Chart (PDF)
Previous
Frantz

The Vanishing Half Symbols

Next
Stella’s Wedding Ring

Stella’s Wedding Ring

Stella’s wedding ring is a physical reminder of everything she gave up in order to lead a prosperous life as a white woman. Her initial decision to start passing as white began when she…

read analysis of Stella’s Wedding Ring

Stella’s Wedding Ring Symbol Icon

The Photograph

Because it puts Kennedy’s burning questions about Stella’s past to rest, the photograph Jude gives her of their mothers symbolizes how meaningful it can be to gain a sense of emotional closure. Before…

read analysis of The Photograph

The Photograph Symbol Icon
Previous
Frantz
Previous
Frantz
Next
Stella’s Wedding Ring
Next
Stella’s Wedding Ring

Company
About Us Our Story
Support
Help Center Contact Us
Connect
Facebook Twitter
Legal
Terms of Service Privacy Policy Privacy Request
Home About Contact Help
LitCharts, a Learneo, Inc. business
Copyright © 2026 All Rights Reserved
Terms Privacy Privacy Request
The LitCharts.com logo.
Save time. Stress less.
Sign up!
  • AI Tools for on-demand study help and teaching prep.
  • Quote explanations, with page numbers, for over 50,066 quotes.
  • PDF downloads of all 2,247 LitCharts guides.
  • Expert analysis to take your reading to the next level.
  • Advanced search to help you find exactly what you're looking for.
  • Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.
  • Expert analysis to take your reading to the next level.
  • Advanced search to help you find exactly what you're looking for.
  • Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.
The LitCharts.com logo.
The LitCharts.com logo.
The LitCharts.com logo.
The LitCharts.com logo.