"Human subjectivity or what we call existence involves this constant process of projecting oneself out on to the world and into the future.[1]"
Nella Larsen’s Quicksand is a prime example of many psychoanalytical ideas including the theories of Sigmund Freud, Martin Heidegger and Claude Levi-Strauss. The phenomenological theory created by Jacques Lacan, in which he establishes the idea that identity is created through ex-sistence (emphasis on the ex, meaning outward, as opposed to interiority) and projection of oneself into the world, is used as a focus point thought the novel and can come to be seen as the best way to view the actions and reactions associated with Helga’s behavior and unconscious.
Helga is often shown the reader through the visions of others and rarely do we hear how she feels about herself. Helga has learned to identify herself in relationship to the world around her. When speaking about Naxos, the school where she works, Helga says “I think there’s less evils here than in most places, but because we’re trying to do such a big thing, to aim so high, the ugly things show more, they irk some of us more” (20). Here Helga has described the situation at Naxos as one that can not be understood independently. Her view of Naxos has come to be seen through a spiral. By this, it can be said that Helga views Naxos and the people there in relationship to the people outside of Naxos. Only through her viewing Naxos from the outside world can Helga come to draw such a conclusion and view human subjectivity.
In a reversion of roles, Helga is viewed as a subject as well. Upon visiting Denmark, Helga’s Aunt Katrina tells her “you, you’re young. And you’re a foreigner, and different. You must have bright things to set off the color of your lovely brown skin…You must make an impression” (68). Immediately, Katrina is setting Helga up to be a subject within the Denmark social circle. By establishing Helga as a human subject, she quickly comes to see her ex-sistence through the lens of others. When thinking about her own role as subject, Helga says that she “felt like nothing so much as some new and strange species of dog being proudly exhibited” (70). This firmly supports Lacan’s idea that in order to be, one must be seen or noticed by another. This relationship in turn affects both individuals on a subconscious level. Helga does not realize the direct influence that being paraded has on her; however, the feelings of strangeness and anxiety over the situation presented, shows Helga’s unconscious at work.
Whether it be through the works of Sigmund Freud or Jacque Lacan, it is clear that Nella Larsen has several layers of meaning behind each and every character within Quicksand. This representation of characters is much like real life and ultimately we can conclude that through simply purchasing and reading this novel, we have experienced ex-sistence.
[1] Homer, Sean. Jacques Lacan. New York: Routledge, 2005.
