Standing Up to a Culture of Hierarchy, Helga Crane in Naxos
In Quicksand , Helga Crane's disillusionment with and departure from Naxos represent a "departure from the feminine" as described in Murdock's mode of the heroine's journey. Crucially, the "toxic femininity" that Helga rebels against has an aspect of productive and supportive labor, but it is also that which has been subjugated and commodified for the benefit of those at the top of various gender, racial, and class hierarchies. The environment of Naxos is one in which Helga seeks to offer support, in fact, an idealized version of it in hopes of serving her community as a teacher, a typically feminine role. However, Helga’s service is constrained by the presence of a number of hierarchies. The school follows the model of Booker T. Washington, a Black reformer who championed the education of Black people in industrial trades, so that they could develop themselves economically without threatening the racial hierarchy of the South. A sermon given by a White ...