Throughout the novel Helga continually struggles to find her identity as a bi-racial woman who can fit into society during a time period that is not so understanding and forgiving. She wishes to find a place where she is both accepted and appreciated as a bi-racial woman, however, through her travels she discovers that such a place does not yet exist. She is simply too liberal and free spirited for a time when race and gender expectations are ultra-conservative. This sentiment is shown when Helga meets Mrs. Hayes-Rore and they discuss Helga’s heritage. After Helga explains that she is the product of “race intermingling and possibly adultery” Mrs. Hayes-Rore gives her the advice to never speak of “her people” as being white because “colored people wouldn’t understand it” (42). This quote speaks volumes for Helga’s difficult plight. In this passage Mrs. Hayes-Rore explains that a merging of the two races and cultures is considered taboo. Mrs. Hayes-Rore insinuates that Helga should, in principle, not exist because her external environment and race expectations do not yet accept that kind of action. “For among black people, as among white people, it is tacitly understood that these things are not mentioned-and therefore they do not exist” (42). This attitude by Helga’s new employer is representative of the entire Chicago community. This city is the first location that explicitly addresses how whites and African American groups interact and how they view each other in society. Upon witnessing the intense feelings each race has for the other, and after conversing with Mrs. Hayes-Rore, Helga comes to the realization that she must move on in order to discover an environment that is welcoming of both her heritage and her individualistic nature.

Helga states that she feels she has finally “found herself” in Harlem (46). For once she feels she is in an environment where she can enjoy her individuality and her ability to express herself freely. A sense of disapproval comes upon her when she discovers that her current best friend Anne Grey strongly disapproves of how Audrey Denney behaves in Harlem. Ms. Grey illustrates the intolerance created by Harlem’s environment when she speaks critically of Audrey by protesting, “Because she goes about with white people and they know she’s colored” (62). After spending a few years in Harlem and enjoying the culture and lifestyle that the advantaged African Americans enjoy in the New York area, Helga comes to the realization that Harlem, no matter how radical, is simply another place that strongly emphasizes the conservative views that exist between whites and African American. Feeling obligated to flee conservative Harlem, Helga speaks of moving to Denmark where she is “among approving and admiring people, where she would be appreciated and understood” (59). Although the lifestyle is nice in Harlem, she still feels a bit stifled; the people in Harlem cannot fulfill her roots as both a white and African American. It is clear that she must move on.

The struggle for Helga as an individual of mixed descent creating a unique self-definition continues on while in Denmark. Initially upon her arrival in Denmark, Helga visibly enjoys herself; she is viewed as a novelty item and as a unique person that peaks the curiosity in everyone. However, the civilized and material nature of these people, an aspect that Helga truly loves, proves not enough in keeping Helga’s happiness at a suitable level. In chapter 16 it states, “So life went on. Dinners, coffees, theaters, pictures, music, clothes. More dinners, coffees, theaters, clothes, music. And that nagging aching for America increased” (93). Even though Helga loves the material aspects of life in Denmark, something that many whites enjoy, she still yearns for that overwhelming feeling that came upon her years ago while among the crowds of African Americans in Harlem. Denmark does not provide her with an environment that fulfills her needs as a woman from a distinctive background, so she decides to move on yet again.

In addition to Helga constantly struggling with finding her identity as a bi-racial individual in an extremely conservative era, the fact that she is also a woman who possesses radical views of individualism and expression further complex her effort in finding herself. During this time there are gender expectations for men and women in the African American race. It seems that Helga constantly battles the roles that women are supposed to assume during the early 1900’s. From the beginning of the novel when she is teaching at Naxos we see the pride she has from being a sophisticated African American career-oriented woman; something that is literally unheard of in America at that time. At no point in time does she wish to settle down with a husband and raise a family. Unfortunately Helga is living in a time period where women are raised to be homemakers and not people who are involved in the business world. When she first arrives in Alabama, she gave suggestions on how to “improv[e] their homes according to her ideas of beauty” (120). The concern with women in Alabama is how well their homes are kept, not the latest political issue. Helga also lacks the natural mothering skills inherent in most women, which further intensifies her situation as a bi-racial individualistic woman who does not wish to settle for anything less than complete autonomy. She is clearly caught in a society that has been constructed to view African American women as people who can perform industrial type jobs. In chapter six it states, “She couldn’t sew, she couldn’t cook. Well, she could do housework, or wait on tables, for a short time at least” (35). Helga clearly is not suited for the typical duties that women in America perform; she feels she should be entitled to something better.

Once Helga has married Reverend Green and is living in Alabama, her struggle for a solid identity as a woman in the Deep South is further exemplified. Finding herself stuck with three kids, Helga begins to contemplate what she has gotten into. Chapter 23 shows how perplexed she is with the other mothers when she ponders, “How, she wondered, did other women, other mothers, manage” (125). This passage shows Helga’s continued search as to what kind of woman she wants to be. Undoubtedly she does not wish to be a homemaker, for that novelty quickly wore off. She finds herself resenting the fact that she must put dinner on the table. The women in Alabama make her husband meals on a frequent basis, while the Reverend gets to focus his energy on administering sermons with sexual undertones and remaining adored by the female masses. In chapter 22 the expectations of the female gender are exemplified, “Besides, open adoration was the prerogative, the almost religious duty of the female portion of the flock (121). Helga is truly in an environment that hinders her ability to grow personally. As much as she would like to leave her children and begin again to exercise her independence, she feels obligated to raise her children, for that is something that her mother didn’t do for her. Helga shows throughout the novel her desires to express herself and live as freely as the gentlemen of her time get to, yet she knows that this is socially unacceptable, being both bi-racial and a woman.

There are many situations that Helga Crane puts herself in that provide the reader with insight into what kind of definition she would like to construct for herself. Being both bi-racial and a woman and living in harsh external environments with strict gender expectations, Helga finds it increasingly difficult to articulate her views on how life should be and how whites and African Americans should interact. Traveling from Naxos, to Chicago, to New York City, to Denmark and then back to Manhattan, Helga conveys the message that there is no locale in which she can live by the definition that she feels she encompasses; a beautiful woman of mixed descent who is highly materialistic, non-maternal, and into discussing all facets of life free from racial barriers. Helga simply lives in a time where she cannot outwardly express herself according to how she defines herself in the novel and still be accepted by her peers, which unfortunately transforms her search for an identity with which she is content, into a journey.