Determinism in Nella Larsen’s Quicksand Essay -- Nella Larsen Quicksan

Determinism in Nella Larsens Quicksand During the Harlem Renaissance, many literary works concentrated on celebrating African American heritage. However, many other writers to a fault began concentrating on the darker theme of naturalism. Nella Larsens Quicksand illustrates many elements of this movement. These include a biological determinism, where man is conceived of as controlled by his primitive animal instincts and a sociological determinism, whereby the purposeless are destroyed and the strong survive in a world of struggle and chance. Helga Crane, Larsens protagonist in Quicksand, illustrates the elements of both biological and sociological determinism in her inability to suppress her natural animal instinct to turn tail uncomfortable situations, and to comfortably conform in either of her opposing communities. Helga cannot suppress her desire to flee from uncomfortable situations in any city that she lives in. In Naxos, she convinces herself that she is leaving a place th at has grown into a machine (4). Although the conforming nature of the institution contributes to Helgas desire to leave, she is also stirred with an overpowering desire for action of some sort (4). Instead of staying in Naxos and fighting a battle against the institutes conservative attitudes, Helga chooses to flee an unpleasant reality. This exemplifies the fight or outflow animal instinct that is said to control behavior in situations that become overwhelming. Instead of fighting, Helga snip and time again chooses to leave what becomes unbearable to her. Once the decision is made to leave Naxos, Helga feels like a person who had been for months fighting the devil and then by luck had turned around and agreed to do his bidding (5). Helga knows deep down that leaving Naxos is wrong, but the instinct to flee is so strong that she is powerless to get across it.In New York, Helga is also consumed by the animal instinct of flight. When Dr. Anderson calls on her after a chance meeti ng at a nightclub, Helga had no heading of running away, but something, some imp of contumacy, drove her from his presence, though she longed to stay (51). Once again, Helga succumbs to her overwhelming desire to leave an uncomfortable situation. Later she realizes with a intellect of helplessness and inevitabilitythat the weapon she had chosen had been a boomerang, for she herself had felt... ...at the advice she offers these women is looked upon with contempt. She begins to adapt to her life after Sary Jones advises her to make de bes of et but her efforts falter during her next pregnancy (125). Instead of fashioning the best of her life, Helga hands over this responsibility to God which eventually leads to the same feeling of dissatisfaction and asphyxiation that she felt in Naxos, New York and Copenhagen (134). After all of her experiences, her inability to conform leads her right back to the same place she started from. It is obvious that Helga Crane will never truly be abl e to fit in in any society.It is apparent that Nella Larsens Quicksand is concerned with the naturalistic element of determinism. Helga Crane illustrates both a biological and sociological determinism in her animal instinct for flight and her inability to conform in any of her environments. Larsens ability to integrate these themes into the character of Helga proves that the Quicksand is not only representative of the Harlem Renaissance, but also of the naturalistic movement. change state CitedLarsen, Nella. Quicksand and Passing. Ed. Deborah E. McDowell. New Brunswick Rutgers UP, 1986.