Victoria Lynn Schmidt's Heroine's Journey in Quicksand

After critically analyzing Victoria Lynn Schmidt's model of the heroine's journey, it feels right to apply my findings and see how Schmidt's version plays out in Quicksand. In my most recent blog, I stated with Schmidt, "The female protagonist experiences numerous positive and negative emotions throughout their story, shaping them to become stronger and face their struggles directly," Quicksand is certainly no exception. To start, the protagonist, Helga Crane, teaches at Naxos, where she experiences the first stage of Illusion of the Perfect World. Helga, at a young age, is already engaged to James Vayle and being a mixed individual, feels she has a community with there being other blacks residing in Naxos. These elements have encouraged Helga to teach here for two years, but unfortunately, this fulfillment would soon end. One day, the school is having Mass, and the priest begins his sermon. In the sermon, the priest spews numerous racial ideals, and none of the other blacks there seem to have an issue with it. However, Helga is infuriated by the priest stating blacks were given inferiority by God himself and undergoes the period of Betrayal, where she realizes Naxos is not where she wants to stay anymore. Her friend and fellow colleague, Margaret attempts to convince her to stay but to no avail. Just as she is about to leave, a meeting with the principal, Dr. Anderson, is scheduled, in which he convinces her to stay with some persuasive speech until he brings up family, not knowing Helga's sour relationship with most of her relatives. With this unintentional blow, Helga storms out of Dr. Anderson's office and makes her move up north to Chicago, uncaring of James Vayle.

In Chicago, Helga tries to find her Uncle Peter, one of her only caring family members, hoping for aid. However, she only meets his wife, and the conversation with her goes nowhere. Thanks to the money she earned from her previous occupation though, she can find a place to live and plans to find a job in the Windy City. She tries for multiple weeks but unfortunately cannot find any work until one day, she receives an offer from Mrs. Hayes-Rore to work for her in Harlem. With the money she will receive from the job, Helga unreluctantly accepts and quickly enjoys the environment of New York. This choice was her Awakening as she "felt reborn. She began happily to paint the future in vivid colors" (Larsen 30). Helga befriends a colleague, Anne, who she is attracted to, and is surrounded by other black people, like in Naxos, but without the altered Christianity corrupting them. Helga spends a little over a year in New York before her discontentment begins to sink in. In her second year in New York, Helga becomes irritated with Anne's constant talk of racial inequality in America and realizes she cannot connect with any of her fellow blacks. With these negative factors, along with a $5000 check from Uncle Peter, Helga leaves Harlem and moves to Copenhagen to live with her Aunt Katrina.

Similarly to New York, the first year in Denmark goes well. Helga garners much attention being one of the only black individuals in Copenhagen, which makes her nervous initially, but with Katrina encouraging her to embrace her beauty, Helga starts to appreciate and leans into the admiration. But in line with her time in Harlem, eventually, Helga starts seeing issues, provoking thoughts of departure. Firstly, she misses being around other blacks and becomes homesick towards America. Secondly, she hears of Anne and Dr. Anderson’s marriage, and jealousy begins creeping in. Helga faces the stage of Descent in her journey, where she grieves over her old life in New York, seeking to be with her people. Planning to return to Copenhagen shortly, Helga makes her move to New York once again. Initially, it appears Helga made the right move on the chess board, as she is admired even more in Harlem than in Denmark. Shortly after descending, Helga is in the Eye of the Storm, walking around with newfound confidence, as it looks like Harlem is where she needs to be for true gratification.

Typical of Quicksand, however, Helga's success swiftly ends at the large party. Helga was having a swell time until she encountered Dr. Anderson, recently married to Anne. One thing leads to another and before she knows it, the two kiss despite Anderson's marriage. The interaction weighs on Crane for weeks until she builds the courage to see Anderson again. The encounter begins smoothly until Crane's emotions overtake her, and she strikes him across the face. Disoriented and humiliated by her impulsive attack the night prior, Helga experiences the Death period, where she feels all hope is lost. Helga almost wishes she could die at that moment and leaves her room directionless, looking for any help she can. Luckily, she meets up with a religious group praising the Lord. Although Crane does not sing initially, the songs began having a powerful effect on her as she felt a "miraculous calm come up on her, as life seemed to expand and become very easy" (Larsen 89). The people accompanying and worshipping with her are Helga's Support, as they comfort and guide her towards Christianity during a challenging time.

Following Support, Helga undergoes her Rebirth. She marries the leader of the group, Reverend Green and despite her previous notions, she gives birth to 4 kids. Everything looks good for Helga as she is a full-fledged Christian and believes she is living a purposeful life. Additionally, her family resides in Alabama so she has the black community here as well. But despite these positive qualities, Crane never reaches the final stage of the heroine journey, Return to the Perfect World. As she grows discontent once again, and even starts hating her husband. In the end, Helga finishes the story unhappy and it seems no matter who accompanies her, this is the case. Helga followed Schmidt’s model perfectly until the end, as she had many positive and negative emotions throughout the story but she never reached that fulfillment from the journey, that she was supposed to.