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The document summarizes the novel 'The Vanishing Half' by Brit Bennett. It discusses how the novel explores identity and how societal expectations and personal choice can influence it through the story of twin sisters Stella and Desiree. Stella passes as white to gain social status while Desiree embraces her black identity and community.

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32 views3 pages

Order 5263959

The document summarizes the novel 'The Vanishing Half' by Brit Bennett. It discusses how the novel explores identity and how societal expectations and personal choice can influence it through the story of twin sisters Stella and Desiree. Stella passes as white to gain social status while Desiree embraces her black identity and community.

Uploaded by

asiyoatieno
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Course

"The Vanishing Half"

"The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett is a historical fiction novel about identical sisters,

Desiree and Stella, who were brought up in a trivial black society called Mallard. The novel's

setting was in the 1950s when racial segregation peaked in the United States. The story reveals

how the twins' lives diverge at a point when Desiree decides to pass as a black woman and Stella

as a white woman, and entirely how the difference in their choices impacts the lives of their

children and the people in their surroundings. Therefore, extensive reading of the novels

highlights a central theme of identity, as depicted by different examples from the story.

The novel reveals that identity is a component shaped by different factors, including

personal choice and societal expectations. In the story of the twins Desiree and Stella, the

different experience portrays how an individual's personal preference and societal expectation

shape one's identity. For instance, the twins live in a community Mallard that values light skin

and puts an embassy on an individual being "whiter" to attain a prestige social status in the

society (Bennett, ch.1). Stella's decision to pass as a white woman is an example of how societal

expectation can lead to shaping an individual's identity. Being that she is aware of the prestige

life that the white is treated within the community and how a black person is disadvantaged,

Stella significantly identifies herself as a white woman. The contrary is Desiree's personal choice

to embrace her blackness and stick to her community despite the disadvantages that it comes
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with. Desiree is searching for a sense of belonging and true identity, hence not shaken by societal

expectations.

In conclusion, the novel "The Vanishing Half" explores identity and how societal

expectations and personal choice can influence it through the story of twins Stella and Desiree.

Stella portrays the impact of societal expectations by abandoning her family to become a white

woman, whereas Desiree sticks to her blackness, revealing that she values belonging and cultural

identity. It also reveals two characters struggling to define themselves, and Stella decides to

choose prestige over reality and a true definition of herself.


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Work Cited

Bennett, Brit. The Vanishing Half. Random House Large Print, 2020.

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