Voyage in the Dark

Throughout the novel, there have been quite a few times when Anna speaks of not wanting to be white and how she longs to be black. In this past reading this quote, that takes place when she is sitting with Francine, really echoed her feelings about her race. "But I knew that of course she disliked me too because I was white; and that I would never be able to explain to her that I hated being white. Being white and getting like Hester, and all the things you get old and sad and everything" (72). This quote demonstrates her hatred towards being white. It seems as if being white is an embarrassment because that would mean that she is like Hester. She seems to have idolized Francine more than Hester, so that would explain why she would want to be black so that she could be more like Francine. She tends to question her identity and voice that she does not want to be white throughout the novel. Anna just seems like a young girl who is lost in her identity, not sure of who she is.