Strangely enough (or at least strange for me) neither ending of “Quicksand” nor that of The Blacker the Berry provided the full redemption for our protagonist. I found myself disappointed as Emma Lou became determined to return with Alva (“You mean you’re going over there to live with that man?” “Why not? I love him.” (207)). For Helga, in “Quicksand”, it was a logical move that her ultimate fall from grace – as she found her sexuality – would lead her to her ultimate demise. For Emma Lou though, her experiences with Campbell Kitchen and Gwendolyn seemed to ultimately offer her some insight into her behavior, “It was clear to her at last that she had exercised the same discrimination against her man and the people she wished for friends that they had exercised against her – and with less reason” (218). Even after coming to this realization, though, Emma Lou decides to return to Alva and only does the scene at the door change her decision. As she spots the drunken men around her, “She suddenly felt an immense compassion for him and had difficulty in stifling an unwelcome urge to take him in her arms” (220) after she is already determined to leave Alva. The constant debate in her mind show that her realizations could also be short lived.
There is no sense of redemption as Emma Lou exits and leaves Alva. She confesses to herself that she must accept her Black skin (“What she needed to do now was to accept her black skin as being real and unchangeable…” (217)); however this realization comes rather hurried in the novel, making this ending uneasy. When Emma Lou exits, it seems as she ultimately has not changed. When the “tears in her eyes receded…she felt herself hardening inside” (221). This “hardening” protects Emma Lou for the hurt that will result from leaving the person who she loves, but it does not signal to a beginning where she will accept her skin and change her behavior.

“Yet, the New Negro must be seen in the perspective of a New World, and especially of a New America.”

“Negro life is not only establishing new contacts and founding new centers, it is finding a new soul”

These two lines from Alain Locke’s forward capture eloquently the impact the Harlem Renaissance had on the Black community and the World. As highlighted by James Weldon Johnson in “Harlem: The Culture Capital”, Harlem was the epicenter for this change in “perspective” and perception of the Negro, particularly as an artist. Bruce Nugent’s piece, “Sahdji” demonstrates a claim and celebration of the Negro heritage which of course contributes to that “new soul” mentioned by Locke.

Nugent begins Sahdji’s tale by focusing on her image which represents a powerful visual of the narrative. Sahdji’s figure is distinct and framed by geometric patterns characteristic of African art. This visual piece distinguishes one of the means through which the “New Negro” establishes “new centers” and finds a “new soul” because not only is Nugent celebrating an image characteristic of the African heritage but he also teaches the reader how to admire it through his piece. He highlights her “beautiful dark body” and her position as a “favorite wife” to denote her importance and instructing us on recognizing said importance in the image. Nugent’s combination of visual and verbal signals a transformation happening occurring within the literary community to best showcase art.

The writing of the narrative also evokes the idea of a “New Negro” in a “New World”. Nugent’s use of ellipses to punctuate and emphasize the narrative shows the experimentation, typical of the modernist time, and makes it harder for the reader to grasp. In addition to giving the writing modern qualities, the punctuation humanizes the narrator since each gap acts like a pause in thought. The blend of a modernist writer and one who celebrates the Negro culture/figure embodies Locke’s “New Negro”.

Wharton’s portrayal of the main characters (Lily Bart & Lawrence Selden) as “strangers” (as defined by Simmel) to the high society, took on a life of its own. Through Lily, we admire and experience the luxuries of said society while simultaneously witnessing Lily’s meticulous calculations about interactions with those around her. Lily’s ultimate fall from grace, though, still leaves her as a “stranger” to the world she resigns to be a part of (the working class) – “It was the strangest part of Lily’s strange experience, the hearing of these names, the seeing the fragmentary and the distorted image of the world she had lived in reflected in the mirror of the working-girls’ minds” (306, Chp. X). Wharton represents the discomfort of moving from a high social stratum to a lower one in the same way she did for Lily’s previous life. This engaging depiction allows for us to sympathize more for our protagonist. Even though Lily was raised to be a part of the upper echelons of society, she simply does not belong; therefore, as we see a similar pattern happening once she becomes a part of the lower strata it moves us to connect with her feeling of displacement.

The narrator utilizes indirect discourse to convey Lily’s experiences. As the narrator presents to us Lily’s thoughts, he allows her to take some authority in the narration, as she takes over the depiction of others around her. We can observe Lily’s authority as she describes Rosedale,  “In the silence, Lily had a clear perception of what was passing through his mind. Whatever perplexity he felt as to the inexorableness of her course-however little he penetrated its motive- she saw that it unmistakably tended to strengthen her hold over him” (321, Chpt XI). Lily’s description of Rosedale’s perception of her cues us to the degree she has been removed from high society. She has now transitioned to be “other”, as defined by DuBois, from being a “stranger”. She presents his feelings and perception of her as someone who is considered outside the norm, sealing her fall from the high pedestal where she once stood. Wharton’s portrayal of Lily provides insight to the most effective techniques modern authors utilized, moving past the details that dominated Lily’s exterior to successfully convey her overwhelming burden of remaining a “stranger”.