Analysis of The Portrayal of The Protagonist in Nella Larsen's 'Passing' and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's 'Iola Leroy, Or, Shadows Uplifted'.

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Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Dalam penulisan tugas akhir ini saya akan menganalisis penggambaran tokoh utama atau protagonis dari novel Passing karya Nella Larsen dan Iola Leroy, or, Shadows Uplifted yang keduanya merupakan wanita keturunan percampuran kulit hitam dan putih, atau lazim disebut dengan mulatto, di Amerika Serikat. Pada waktu itu berlaku peraturan bahwa mulatto adalah termasuk kulit hitam (Negro) walaupun penampilan mereka seperti layaknya orang kulit putih.

Passing adalah novel yang mengisahkan tentang Clare Kendry, seorang wanita keturunan campuran kulit hitam dan putih atau mulatto yang dikarunia penampilan fisik seperti orang kulit putih. Dengan memanfaatkan kondisi fisiknya Clare menyeberang ke kelompok kulit putih. Iola Leroy, or, Shadows Uplifted adalah novel yang menceritakan tentang Iola Leroy, wanita keturunan kulit hitam dan kulit putih yang dikarunia penampilan fisik seperti kulit putih. Setelah ayahnya meninggal, identitasnya sebagai keturunan kulit hitam membuat Iola dijual sebagai budak. Pengalaman ini membuatnya memutuskan untuk tetap hidup dengan identitas sebagai kulit hitam.

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CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN NELLA LARSEN’S_{PASSING ...} ₆

CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS THE PORTRAYAL OF THE PROTAGONIST IN FRANCES ELLEN WATKINS HARPER’S IOLA LEROY, OR, SHADOWS UPLIFTED ... 17

CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION_... ₂₈

BIBLIOGRAPHY_... ₃₃

APPENDIX Synopsis of Passing ... 36

Synopsis of Iola Leroy, or, Shadoows Uplifted ... 37

Biography of Nella Larsen ... 38

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APPENDIX

Synopsis of Passing

Irene Redfield coincidentally meets her mulatto friend, Clare Kendry in a

restaurant in Chicago. They have separated for twelve years. Clare is adopted by

her white aunts after the death of his drunken father, who works as janitor. Irene

only hears rumors about her having been seen at the dinner in a fashionable hotel

accompanied by white people. There is also a rumor about her driving in Lincoln

Park with a man, who is unmistakably white and rich.

Clare confesses that she has passed for white and marries a white man. She

leaves her aunts after marries as she never reveals her true identity to her husband.

Clare, who feels happy with the sudden encounter, insists on Irene’s visiting her.

Despite her lack of time as she has to go back to her family in New York, Irene

agrees to visit her.

When Irene visits Clare in Chicago, Clare reveals her fear to have another

child as she is afraid that the child might be black. Irene is also shocked as John

Bellew, Clare’s husband declares his hatred toward black community. Jokingly,

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In Chicago, Clare refuses to visit Irene because someone might see her in a

black neighborhood. Even though Irene has ignored Clare’s letter, she invites her inside when she visits her in New York. Clare decides to attend the Negro Welfare

League dance, which is coordinated by Irene since a lot of white people go.

Besides, her husband is out of town. After the dance, Clare attends some party

held by the black community without her husband knowing it. When her husband,

supposedly in Philadelphia, finds Clare at the party, Clare falls out of window and

brings her agony of her identity to death.

Synopsis of Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted

Iola Leroy is the daughter of Eugene Leroy a wealthy southern slave

owner. Her mother, Marie is a quarter black, a slave who takes care of Leroy

when he is ill and abandoned by his friends. Her parents decide to raise Iola and

her siblings, Harry and Gracie as whites and send them to northern school to

protect them from prejudice and slavery. Later at school, Iola supports the

pro-slavery stance and never realizes that she is an enslaved mulatto.

Upon Leroy’s death, his cousin tricks the family to overtake Leroy’s

property. He separates Marie and her children, and then sells them as slaves.

Marie and Gracie suffer from yellow fever and Gracie dies. Iola, held by an

abusive master, is freed by the Union Army. Exiled from family and home, Iola

becomes a nurse in the army. Dr. Gresham, a white Union hospital physician falls

in love with her but dislikes her care for Tom, a black man who is wounded in a

skirmish with confederate forces. Failed to suppress his feeling, Dr. Gresham

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whose race has oppressed her family and race. She begins to accept her identity as

a black woman.

When the Civil War ends, Iola manages to reunite with her family. They

move to Georgia where they meet with progressive northern thinkers, Dr. Latimer,

Dr. Gresham and Miss Delany. Having fully received her identity as a black

woman, Iola rejects Dr. Gresham’s second proposal and then marries Dr. Latimer,

a mulatto who decides to pass as black. Both succeed in their respective career as

physician and teacher. The reunited Leroy family work as an advocate for racial

empowerment and civil rights.

Biography of Nella Larsen

Nella Larsen was born on 13 April 1891. She was the daughter of a West

Indian man named Peter Walker, who married a Danish woman. When she was

two years old, his father died and her mother was remarried to a white Dane, Peter

Larsen. As a result she grew up as a black child of the lower-middle class white

household.

After graduating from a local public school, Larsen attended Fisk

University’s Normal School in 1907. Between 1912 and 1915, she was trained as

a nurse in New York and worked as head nurse at John Andrew Memorial

Hospital and Nurse Training School soon after her graduation. In 1916, she met

Elmer Imes, a physicist. They married and she began to write the following year.

Larsen firstly published her first literary work of two articles about Danish

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befriended some Harlem Renaissance activists that made her leave her job as a

librarian to become a writer.

In 1928, she published her first novel Quicksand which received a significant critical acclaim. Her second novel Passing, which was published the following year also received praise from her fellow contemporaries. Her works

lead her to become the first African-American woman to be awarded

Guggeinheim fellowship of creative writing.

When her marriage failed because of her husband’s infidelity, Larsen

stopped writing and disappeared. Some of her friends speculated that, like her

characters of her novels, she had crossed the color in order to link with her white

relatives. They denied her and until her death in 30 March 1964, she died alone in

her apartment.

Sources: “Nella Larsen Biography”, “Nella Larsen”

Biography of Frances E. W. Harper

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was born on September 24, 1825 in

Maryland, Baltimore. She was born a free black woman. Her father was a white

man and her mother was a black woman. After her mother died, she was raised by

her uncle, William Watkins who founded and taught at a local school for free

black children.

After completing her formal education, she worked as a maid for

Armstrong family in Baltimore. The family gave her permission to read all of the

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her interest in writing. Soon, Harper began writing prose and poetry as a reflection

of her own feeling and thoughts on various social and political issues.

After several years of creating and gathering poetry and prose, she

published her first book of poetry entitled Forest Leaves in 1846. She left her job in Armstrong family to join Union Seminary in Columbus, Ohio where she

became the first female member. She also helped slaves to escape through the

Underground Railroad and wrote for an anti-slavery newspaper, earning her

reputation as the mother of African American journalism.

In 1860, she married Fenton Harper and had a daughter, Mary. Her

husband’s death in 1864 led her back to Philadelphian to teach and lecture. Then

she published Moses: A Story of the Nile (1869), Poems (1871), Sketches of Southern Life (1872). She also wrote articles on various topics which were published on newspapers and magazines. In 1892, after her interest shifted from

poetry to fiction, she wrote Iola Leroy or Shadows Uplifted which was considered as the most impressive novel written by African American writer. She died in

1911, but her wisdom and desire for human equality survived well until 1990’s

and lived on for years to come.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

A mulatto is defined as “the first general offspring of a black and white

parent; or, an individual with both white and black ancestors. Generally, mulattoes are light-skinned (Pilgrim). Mulattoes are considered in a midway position between black and white, which makes them encounter difficulty in adjusting themselves in society because years before the Civil War when slavery was still in practice, United States’ people were classified based on skin color, and there were two classes

consisting of the superior white and the inferior black (George).

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2 whether to accept their true identity as black or to pretend to be white (Covert). Based on the above facts, I have chosen to analyze two novels written by Nella Larsen and Frances E. W. Harper, in both of which talk about the same issue: women of multiracial off-springs who try to establish their identities.

The first author is Nella Larsen. She is the first African-American writer who was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship for creative writing. Larsen wrote not only novels but also articles about Danish games which were published in some magazines. Even though she only wrote two novels, Quicksand and Passing, her works are of extraordinary quality that earned her high appreciation from her contemporaries. Alice Walker praises both Passing and Quicksand as “Novels that open up a whole world of experience and struggle, absolutely absorbing, fascinating, and indispensable” (“Passing”).

Passing written by Nella Larsen has been considered as “a work so fine,

sensitive, and distinguished that it raises above race categories and becomes that rare object, a good novel” as reviewed by W.B. Seabrook in The Saturday Review of

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Maranatha Christian University a dramatic story about race and self identity. Passing also provides an example of some of the best writings of the Harlem Renaissance.

The second author is Frances E. W. Harper. She is an American author, a journalist, a poet and a professional lecturer. Aside from Iola Leroy or Shadows Uplifted, Harper published books of poems entitled Forest Leaves and Poems of

Miscellaneous Subjects. She has given a great contribution in the literary world as she

uses her writings to fight racism. Moreover, she made strong feminist statements that she was considered as “one of the colored women of whom white women may be

proud, and to whom the abolitionists can point and declare that a race which could show such women never ought to have been held in bondage" (Reuben). Her short story The Two Offers was the first short story published by an African American.

A story about a light-skinned mulatto woman trying to define her identity also appears in Frances E. W. Harper’s Iola Leroy. The novel, which was written in the

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Maranatha Christian University Characterization is really important as “it is actually characterization that moves the story along, because a compelling character in a difficult situation creates his or her own plot” (Bernardo).

Statement of the Problems

1. How do the authors portray the protagonists?

2. What are the purposes of the authors in creating such characters?

Purpose of the Study

1. The purpose of the study is to analyze how the authors portray the protagonists.

2. The purpose of the study is to reveal the purposes of the authors in creating such characters.

Method of Research

I use the library research that includes reading and understanding the primary texts which are the novels and other references, in order to make an objective and a non-superficial analysis in the process of the study. Next, I analyze the portrayal of the protagonist and the purpose of the author in creating such character in each of the novels. Lastly, I draw some conclusions from my analysis.

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Maranatha Christian University The organization of the thesis is divided into four chapters, which are preceded by Preface and Abstract. Chapter One is Introduction, which contains Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study, Method of Research, and Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two contains the analysis of the portrayal of the protagonist in Nella Larsen’s Passing. Chapter Three contains the

analysis of the portrayal of the protagonist in Frances E. W. Harper’s Iola Leroy or

Shadows Uplifted. Chapter Four contains the conclusion of the analysis. The thesis

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CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

After analyzing Nella Larsen’s novel entitled Passing and Frances Ellen

Watkins Harper’s entitled Iola Leroy, or, Shadows Uplifted, I would like to draw

some conclusions. Both Nella Larsen’s Passing and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s Iola Leroy, or, Shadows Uplifted deal with the issues of mulatto women who try to claim their identity. Both protagonists, regardless of their physical beauty, face the

similar problem whether to accept or to hide their identity.

In spite of those similarities, there are also some differences. The first

difference is that Clare chooses to pass for the white, while Iola chooses to be the part

of the black people’s society. The fact that they live in different conditions makes

their reason for their decisions is also different. Growing up with her father who

works as a janitor makes Clare lives in poverty. That is why she thinks that material

wealth is the only source of happiness. Since the majority of white people at time live

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poverty. The prosperity of white people is evidenced from the fact that white people

usually dine at fashionable hotels. They drive limousine and are always dressed up.

All of those mentioned make Clare choose to pass for the white so that she can marry

a rich white man and get material wealth, even though she has to hide her identity and

pretend to be someone else.

On the other hand, Iola Leroy grows up as a daughter of slave owner and lives

in prosperity. She has a chance to get education as her father sends her to college.

Later, after the war ends, she is supported financially by her long-lost uncle. When

she experiences slavery, she becomes aware that white people have caused black

people to suffer, and feels sympathy toward them. Despite the fact that she once lived

a wealthy life, she now understands that wealth is not the source of happiness. The

true happiness is actually to help black people to fight for their rights. That is why,

she does not choose to pass for the white. Instead, she chooses to accept her identity

as a mulatto and become part of black people, so that she can help them fight for their

rights.

In the novels, the motivations of the protagonists for claiming their identities

are different. Clare Kendry passes for the white for economic reason so that she can

gain material wealth while Iola Leroy claims her identity as a black woman for the

reason that the white society is the source of black’s suffering. Though passing for

white means freedom from slavery but Iola chooses to embrace her identity as a black

woman so that she can help her own people.

This is in accordance with the different setting of time between the two

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America. At that time, mulatto women do the act of passing because passing for the

white offers opportunities such as better jobs, better housing. Passing for the white

also means treated with respect not disdain. (Haynes) On the other hand, the second

novel is set in the period during the civil war when slavery was still at practice. At

that time, mullatto women pass for the white because it could mean freedom. There

are many documented instances of fair-skinned slaves who pass for the white to

escape. (Haynes)

Another difference is that Clare Kendry in Passing is portrayed as a selfish woman, while Iola Leroy in Iola Leroy, or, Shadows Uplifted is portrayed as a

selfless woman. Clare’s selfishness results from her being raised by white people who

do not care about her. Her white aunts consider her as a Negro and push her to do

hard work. They also think that they are more superior than Clare due to her mixed

blood. As a result, when a white and rich man turns up, she only thinks of her own

happiness and leaves her aunts to marry the man. On the other hand, Iola Leroy

becomes selfless as she is raised among black people who care about her. Iola’s father

isolates her from white people so that she would not get unfair treatments from them.

Being raised among black people who care about her makes her become selfless and

having witnessed the black people being treated unequally urges her to help them to

gain equality.

The other difference is that Clare Kendry is portrayed as a reckless woman,

while Iola Leroy is portrayed as a sensible woman. Clare Kendry becomes reckless

because she always thinks that money is the source of happiness, which is why she

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she will encounter after passing for the white. Different from Clare, Iola is portrayed

as a sensible woman as she has experienced slavery and has been treated unfairly by

white people. Because of her bitter experience, she decides to accept her identity as a

mulatto and to be part of black people.

These novels are about the act of passing for the white. In times when people

were separated based on skin color, passing for the white is an effort for the

protagonists to escape from their condition. In the first novel with the setting of time

around 1929, passing for the white is an effort for mulatto women to escape from

poverty, to get opportunities that were closed for black people and to gain higher

social status. While in the second novel with the setting of time during and after the

Civil War, passing for the white is an effort for mulatto women to escape from

slavery and gain freedom.

By portraying such characters, the authors of the two novels show their

purposes of creating the novels. Nella Larsen exposes her criticism about the act of

passing. Even though passing for the white is an option for light-skinned mulatto but

one who wants to pass should have further consideration about the consequences of

such action. Her criticism is related to her own experience, as she tries to pass for the

white to connect with her white relatives but she is rejected by them as she inherits

the negro blood from her black father.

On the other hand, Frances E. W. Harper would like to persuade mullatoes to

embrace their black descent and to accept their identity as blacks. Furthermore,

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Maranatha Christian University characteristics and they deserve to be treated equally. Frances E. W. Harper’s view on

racial issues is related to her being raised as a black woman. She is proud of being

black. She has written many articles on racial issues to uplift her own race. Larsen’s

and Harper’s styles of portraying the characters makes these novels to become

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary texts:

Harper, Frances E. W. Iola Leroy or Shadows Uplifted. New York: Dover

Publication, Inc, 2010.

Larsen, Nella. Passing. New York: Dover Publication, Inc, 2004.

References :

Bernardo, Karen. “Characterization in Literature.” Storybites. N.p., 2011. Web. 28

Oct. 2011.

“Caring” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th

edition, London: Oxford

University Press, 2005. Print.

Covert, Jessica. “Everything Must Be Paid For: The Price of Passing”. Literary

Analysis #2. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2012.

“Devious” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th

“Frances Ellen Watkins Harper”. Poetry Foundation. N.p., 2011. Web. 28 Oct.

2011.

George, Marie Amelie, “The Modern Mulatto: A Comparative Analysis of the

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Intersex in Contemporary America”. Mixed Race Studies. N.p., 2009.

Web. 19 May 2012.

Haynes, Monica. “Passing: How Passing as White Became a Choice for Many

Black Americans” Post-Gazzete.com. PG Publishing Co., Inc. 26 October

2003. Web. 13 September 2012.

“Independent” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th

edition, London:

Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.

“Iola Leroy or Shadows Uplifted”. Oxford University Press. N.p., 2005. Web. 28

Oct. 2011.

“Materialistic” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th

edition, London:

Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.

“Mulattoes, Mixed Race, and Creoles”. Frenchcreoles.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19

May 2012.

“Nella Larsen”. Extravagant CrowdCarl Van Vechten’s Portraits of Woman.

N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.

“Nella Larsen Biography”. Biography Base. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.

Nittle, Nandra Kareem. “Definition of Passing” About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2013.

11 Feb 2013.

Norton, John. H. “Mulatto” Wordnik. N.p., 6 Oct 2007. Web. 11 Feb 2013.

“Optimistic” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th

Parish, Jenette. “Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911)”. Achieves of

Maryland. N.p. 2007. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.

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“Passing: The Novel in Focus”. Gale Notable and Its History. N.p., 2012. Web. 22

Apr 2012.

Pilgrim, David. “The Tragic Mulatto Myth” Ferris. Ferris State University. Nov

2000. Web. 19 May 2012.

“Pretentious” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th

“Reckless” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th

Reuben, Paul P. “Chapter 9: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911).” PAL:

Perspective in American Literature – A Research and Reference Guide –

An Ongoing Project. N.p., 26 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2011.

Reuben, Paul P. “Chapter 5: Nella Larsen (1891-1964).” PAL: Perspective in

American Literature – A Research and Reference Guide – An Ongoing

Project. N.p., 2 Nov. 2011. Web. 9 Nov. 2011

“Selfish” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th edition, London: Oxford

“Selfless” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th

“Sensible” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th