Racial identifications are continually influenced by and constructed through
one’s environment. Building on Jean Baudrillard’s “The Precession of Simulacra” and
Gaston Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space, this thesis argues that houses and clothing are
the material objects that allow characters Birdie Lee from Danzy Senna’s Caucasia and
Helga Crane from Nella Larsen’s Quicksand to construct their mixed race identities.
Birdie Lee’s childhood home is the place where she develops a mixed race identity.
When she leaves that home, she is forced to take on simulacra in order to pass for white.
Without a stable childhood or adult home, Helga Crane’s wardrobe becomes the space
where she unconsciously develops a mixed race identity. Her clothing choices allow her
to simulate an entirely black identity that masks her mixed race heritage. Ultimately, the
fates of Birdie and Helga are determined by whether or not they can occupy a space that
is accepting of their mixed race identities. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_13421 |
| Contributors | Byng, Gyasi S. (author), Dagbovie-Mullins, Sika A. (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree grantor), Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English |
| Publisher | Florida Atlantic University |
| Source Sets | Florida Atlantic University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 65 p., application/pdf |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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