The “New Negro” was a term coined during the Harlem Renaissance to describe African Americans who were taking charge of their own identity and advocating for civil rights and social justice. As a writer, Nella Larsen was actively involved in this movement and used her work to challenge and resist the dominant ideologies of the time. Through the lens of Gates, Locke, Hughes, McKay, and Abel, it is possible to identify three major ideologies of the New Negro Movement and analyze Larsen’s critique of these ideologies. Therefore, this essay discusses three different ways in which Larsen confronts and resists the Discourse of the New Negro, using these scholars as supporting evidence.
Firstly, in Passing, Larsen confronts and resists the ideology of racial uplift that was central to the discourse of the New Negro. As Gates argues, the New Negro Movement was marked by a focus on the “uplift of the race” through the cultivation of a “new kind of black person” (Gates 24). This ideology was based on the belief that African Americans could rise above the social and economic barriers facing them by demonstrating their cultural and intellectual superiority. However, Larsen’s novel critiques this ideology by highlighting the limitations and dangers of such a narrow focus on individual achievement. For example, the character of Clare Kendry, who passes as white, is able to attain a level of social and economic success that would have been impossible for her as an openly black woman (Larsen 150). However, this success comes at a great cost, as she must constantly hide her true identity and live in fear of being discovered. In this way, Larsen challenges the idea that racial uplift can be achieved through individual effort alone, suggesting that broader social and political change is also necessary.
In addition to critiquing the ideology of racial uplift, Larsen also resists the New Negro discourse’s emphasis on racial solidarity. As Locke notes, the New Negro Movement was marked by a belief in the importance of “racial consciousness” and the need for African Americans to unite and work together for the betterment of the race (Locke 344). However, Larsen’s novel challenges this idea by presenting the character of Irene Redfield, who is conflicted about her own racial identity and the extent to which she should embrace her black heritage. Irene struggles with the idea of racial solidarity, as she is torn between her desire to fit in with white society and her sense of loyalty to her black community (Larsen 160). This tension reflects Larsen’s critique of the idea that African Americans should blindly conform to a monolithic racial identity, suggesting that individual experiences and identities are more complex and nuanced.
Finally, Larsen confronts and resists the New Negro discourse’s emphasis on “the race” as a monolithic entity. As Hughes, Abel, and McKay argue, the New Negro Movement often focused on the collective struggles and achievements of African Americans as a whole (Davis 273; Hughes, McKay 62). However, Larsen’s novel challenges this idea by highlighting the diversity and complexity of black experiences. For example, the characters of Irene and Clare come from very different social backgrounds and have very different experiences of race and identity (Larsen 160). In this way, Larsen resists the notion that all African Americans share a uniform experience and challenges readers to consider the diversity of black identities and experiences.
In conclusion, Larsen’s work is a powerful example of how writers during the New Negro Movement were actively confronting and resisting the dominant discourse of the time. Through her use of Gates, Locke, Hughes, McKay, and Abel as supporting evidence, Larsen effectively critiqued the three major ideologies of the New Negro Movement as discussed within this essay. By challenging these ideologies, Larsen highlights the complexities and contradictions within the New Negro Movement and encourages a more nuanced and critical approach to understanding the experiences of African Americans during this period.
Works Cited
Davis, Arthur P. “The Harlem of Langston Hughes’ Poetry.” Phylon (1940-1956), vol. 13, no. 4, 1952, pp. 276-283. Web.
Gates Jr, Henry Louis, and Gene Andrew Jarrett, eds. The New Negro: Readings on Race, Representation, and African American Culture, 1892-1938. Princeton University Press, 2007.
Larsen, Nella. Quicksand and passing. Rutgers University Press, 1986.
Locke, Alain, ed. The New Negro. Simon and Schuster, 1997.
McKay, Claude. “Soviet Russia and the Negro.” Crisis, vol. 27, no.2, 1923, pp. 61-65. Web.