logo

66 pages 2 hours read

Nella Larsen

Quicksand

Nella LarsenFiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1928

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapters 4-7Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 4 Summary

Helga is upset by the heat and being forced to sit “with others of her own race” (22) on the train en route to Chicago. She reflects upon her meeting with Dr. Anderson, wondering why she had allowed herself to become so angry. She realizes that she has been rude to Anderson and knows that he might have been able to persuade her to remain at Naxos.

Helga recalls the circumstances of her “remote” Scandinavian mother’s life, and “hoped that she had been happy…in the little time it had lasted” (23) before being abandoned by Helga’s father. Her mother’s second marriage to a white man resulted in Helga’s exposure to the “savage unkindness of her stepbrothers and sisters” (23) and contributed to her constant sense of loneliness, which was only exacerbated by her mother’s death. She realizes that the explanation of her reasons for breaking her engagement to James Vayle have been “inane and insufficient” (23).

Ultimately, Helga is able to secure a berth at an inflated price, but her thoughts still turn to frustration with her performance during her resignation from Naxos. 

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 66 pages of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools