(Be)Longing in Quicksand: Framing Kinship and Desire More Queerly

Nella Larsen's Quicksand is infamous for its lingering atmosphere of near-palpable yearning. Helga Crane, the novel's off-putting and conflicted protagonist exhibits a sense of longing that is not easily explained. Most often critics frame this longing through an heteronormative lens that presumes a craving to belong within a kinship system such as a conventional community and/or nuclear family. By extension, however, that simple positioning of Helga within the kinship paradigm automatically associates her indescribable longing with heterosexual sex. Yet, Helga Crane's longing seems more perverse. Her desire to belong, in the conventional sense, is less so than many have suggested; and her desire for heterosexual sex appears arguable at best. Although critical interpretations of Helga do not, the character herself resides outside the heteronormative box, which upends such compulsory givens as kinship and desire. For this reason Helga Crane demands a new portrait. Helga can be framed more queerly, for framing her within conventional heteronormativy cuts short the subversive elements in her portrayal.