Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Camden Graduate School Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10005600001
Note (type = degree)
M.A.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Raven Marlenia Moses
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
iii, 43 p.
Abstract (type = abstract)
With the advent of various state laws that classified as black any individual with at least “one-drop” of African blood and the legalization of racial segregation enacted by the Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court decision, the American post-Reconstruction era was a period in which the line separating races became more and more distinct. However, as the legal definitions and hierarchical categorizations of racial difference became more discrete, the physical basis of racial distinction became increasingly destabilized. Nella Larsen’s Passing and James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man are novels from this period that depict the struggles of characters who suffer because of the social and legal distinction between “black” and “white.” Because of the social
imperative that these characters be black even though they have visibly white skin, the distinction between “black” and “white” actually becomes an arbitrary distinction between “white” and “not-white.” The protagonists of both novels--Clare Kendry, Irene
Redfield, and the unnamed Ex-Colored Man--all seek stable self-definitions that successfully integrate both their personal and social identities. However, because of their inability to resolve the paradox created by their visible “whiteness” and legal classification as “black,” none of the protagonists are able to successfully negotiate the threats posed by their racially and socioeconomically oppressive environment while
keeping their personal identities continuously intact. Unable to form stable, coherent identities through the blending of mutually agreeable public and private “selves,” Clare, Irene, and the Ex-Colored Man remain in irresolvable positions with identities that are
permanently indeterminate.
Subject
Name (authority = LC-NAF)
NamePart (type = personal)
Larsen, Nella.--Passing
Subject
Name (authority = LC-NAF)
NamePart (type = personal)
Johnson, James Weldon, 1871-1938.--Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.