Could you please REWRITE this essay base on this outline? The rewrite essay must contain 15-20 pages (or 75,000 - 100,000 words)

Essay:

The Intersection of Sexism and Racism Intersectionality in The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

In the 1970s, an entire new form of literary analysis was created. As feminist analysis increasingly relied on the hostile analysis of the writing of White men, Black feminists turned their attention to the writings of Black women (Allen 390-91). While feminist perspectives lacked the understanding and care to address the unique problems of women of color, Black women composed an entirely new form of analysis to find patterns of truth and prejudices previously unfound in their largely ignored literary works. This change in analysis has allowed literary works such as The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett to reach high levels of literary honor in the present day, though it would have been ignored mere decades prior. In this novel, Bennett uses the varying stereotypes faced by her main cast of women to show the impacts of intersectional discrimination, a topic largely ignored by previous feminist critics. Intersectionality, as described by the Chair for Gender and Women's Studies at Goethe University Helma Lutz, is a "heuristic device or a method that is particularly helpful in detecting the overlapping and co-construction of visible and, at first sight, invisible strands of inequality" (39). These overlapping strands of discrimination are fully apparent and vital to Bennett's work, as each main female character faces different sets of prejudices based not only on her gender but other aspects of her identity, primarily her race. The characters' womanhood is both uniting and dividing, seeing as their other points of discrimination add to how their female identity affects their daily lives. In this novel, racism and sexism link to form varying sets of stereotypes and prejudices for the women to overcome. Some stereotypes are followed and some subverted, but they all show that the manifestations of sexism for Black and White women, while overlapping, are not completely the same.

The variability in the experiences of sexism can be seen in the sexist stereotypes that Stella faces as a White woman - stereotypes that fit well into traditional ideas of sexism and are lobbied against only White women in the novel. When looking at how differing identities create different reactions, it is important to note that the identity most often realized by an individual is often the "identity aspect that is repeatedly attacked and therefore defended" (Lutz 41). Since White women are positioned as both the oppressed and the oppressor, based on their gender and race, they often realize and analyze how their womanhood impacts their lives rather than their Whiteness. This leads to discussions on women's issues that center White women and Whiteness, allowing the stereotypes believed to be against all women to be primarily faced by White women specifically. Bennett covers these false beliefs well in Stella's story, where she faces regularly publicized sexist stereotypes that the other Black women of the novel do not face, at least not as directly. These stereotypes largely have to do with Stella's capabilities and roles within her relationship with Blake, seeing as she often fills the feminine role completely and is ridiculed when she steps out of it. This can be seen from the very beginning of their relationship, where Stella is treated as the damsel in distress for Blake to whisk away and save. Before they are even officially dating, Blake treats her almost like an unfortunate child that he must protect. When Blake walks with her in public, he tells her, "it's not safe out here...a pretty girl like you walking alone" (Bennett 187). She is known around their office as "Blake's girl" due to how he treats her while they work together (Bennett 187). Even when they start dating, Stella knows that the tragic backstory she feeds to him is met with his pity, which she uses to her advantage to obscure her true identity (Bennett 152). Blake routinely adopts Stella into his life in a way that he sees fit. He treats her as though she is in need of his help and he is her sole protector, disregarding Stella's own capabilities and power. Stella's ability to use this to her advantage as she hides her past further shows the sexist standards Blake subjects her to. His treatment of her blurs her true identity, signaling that Blake does not intend to know her at all but rather the version of her that he has constructed to fit his protector/damsel narrative. This is a seen and known stereotype lobbied against women, and one that influences the access women have to other opportunities, such as education and careers. These influences are again shown in Stella's story. Though she is able to access college classes and obtain a career relatively easily, she is still limited by Blake's critiques on her life choices. When Stella becomes a Statistics professor and must occasionally work later than he would expect, he complains that her friend is a "women's libber" that keeps "putting all those ideas" in Stella's head (Bennett 224). He argues that her friend is unlike Stella, who has "family" and "obligations" that she must attend to (Bennett 225). His language in and of itself is misogynistic, seeing as he refers to his wife's pursuance of independence and passions as radical ideas that should have no place in their lives. He makes no mention of his own job, where he "worked endless hours, traveled constantly," and "fell asleep in bed studying colorful charts" (Bennett 156). This is arguably more work than Stella is doing, and something that takes up more of the couple's personal life. But, as he is the man of the family, Blake views his work as important and needed and Stella's work as inconsequential and harmful. This is due to the sexist paradigm created since the very beginning of the relationship. Blake is the provider and the protector, and Stella is the homemaker in need of her husband. Stella's job threatens this sexist dichotomy, allowing him to critique her work and completely ignore the stresses created by his own career. His critiques and sexist appeals appear at other points in their marriage as well, seeing as he regularly disregards her words in order to raise his position within their relationship. When she expresses concern over the Walker family moving in next door on the basis of their race, he focuses on her "country talk" rather than her actual words (Bennett 148-49). When she explains to him how statistics works when he is losing a game of craps, he complains "she takes one class," before continuing to gamble without considering her explanation (Bennett 221-22). He regularly treats her words as lesser and unimportant within their marriage, instead focusing on the aspects of Stella that fit into the sexist narrative he created for them. This narrative is a staple of sexism, one that has been challenged by many feminists when explaining the harms of societal beliefs towards women. As such, these stereotypes are often more publicized and realized within feminist texts, showing that the known understanding of sexist stereotypes are largely lobbied against White women specifically.

Sexism against women of color is compounded by race, however, making the sexist discrimination they face inseparable from racism and largely different from the discrimination of White women; this is seen in the opportunities not afforded to the main women of color within the novel, such as Desiree's limited career capabilities. Seeing as women of color are situated at the axis of sexism and racism, it is understandable that the prejudices they face differ from traditional understandings of either discrimination types, including in what is accessible to them. While studying the way that institutions organize and enforce this intersectional discrimination, Professor of Law at the University of California Kimberle Crenshaw identified the unique positioning of women of color in the "economic, social, and political worlds" (1250). Because of this, reform aimed at eradicating sexist sentiments that did not account for intersectional identities have invariably left behind women of color (Crenshaw 1250). This same sentiment can be extended to literature, seeing as feminist analysis of literary work that excluded women of color have left them, and the unique issues they face, out of the picture. In fact, when Black women created their own form of analysis to analyze their own work back in the 1970s, their goal was specifically to provide space for themselves and their writings within literary analysis (Allen 391). By doing so, they deviated from the norm by analyzing these texts in a "non- hostile" way, allowing them to understand and analyze the stereotypes and prejudices Black women identified within their works without attacking the author for them - the custom of other feminist analysts (Allen 391). Some of the prejudices identified within this new form of analysis can be seen in Jude and Desiree, who experience the lessened opportunities within this novel that cannot just be boiled down to their gender but must also take into account their race. Desiree, in particular, is seen facing limited career possibility as compared to her perceived White sister. Though Stella's later career choices are more of a whim, Desiree's working passions are belittled, especially in the deep south. Here, despite her previous work as a fingerprint examiner, she is told to stop "wasting" the Sheriff's time by applying for the same position she previously held in Washington D.C. (Bennett 43). She is then forced to take a job at Lou's Egg House, where she continues to work despite the fact that she "didn't earn enough...to live anywhere else" (Bennett 91). Her job at Lou's forces her to remain in Mallard, a town neither she nor her daughter seems to truly want to be in. Though Desiree admits there are many reasons for her to stay in Mallard, she is never truly given the opportunity to leave anyways. She is unable to make enough to leave or to move up from her current economic position, opportunities afforded to other characters in other capacities. These missed opportunities seem to be a result of her race, as the change from Washington D.C. to Jim Crow Louisiana is the deciding factor in her position as a fingerprint examiner. However, her sex also determined her capabilities, seeing as she is immediately forced into the female dominated position of waitress after failing to obtain other more lucrative work. Both her race and her sex combine to limit her financial possibilities, forcing her to remain in Mallard and continue the relatively impoverished cycle of her life.

This specific cycle fortunately does not continue in Jude, who is able to eventually escape Mallard, though her limited educational opportunities demonstrates the same prejudices her mother faces in her career. Jude, who finds solace in running in Mallard, wins a scholarship after college recruiters watch her win a "gold medal in the 400 meters at the state championship meet" (Bennett 83). Despite her hard work, even Jude admits that them seeing her in this moment is truly a "miracle of miracles" (Bennett 83). Jude's ability to go to a good college outside of her small town is seriously hindered by both her Black and Woman identities. It is unlikely she would have been able to attend a prestigious college just from applying, and it is still a miracle that her hard track work paid off. The limited access both women and Black people have to higher education compounds to limit her access further, meaning her eventual gain of higher education is exceedingly rare and a point to be proud of. Even while she attends this prestigious university, however, she is still ridiculed for her presence. Even after Jude earns her spot and works hard at her academics, Stella's daughter Kennedy still apparently finds it funny that "the black girl serving drinks had, somehow, managed to attend a school like UCLA" (Bennett 141). Her position is still threatened and questioned due to other people's perceptions. Despite Kennedy's own standing as a woman, a point that likely also limits her access in some capacity to higher education given the time period, she still looks down on Jude's acceptance. This shows that Jude is not only discriminated against as a result of her gender, but also of her race. The working opportunities of these two women later on show this dynamic as well, seeing as Jude still is unable to fully stock her apartment even after being successful in medical school while Kennedy drops out of college and still becomes an outrageously successful real estate agent allowed to travel the world (Bennett 300 & 307). Their experiences are not the same. They both are belittled and put down in ways because of their gender identity, but their race allows for Kennedy to enjoy certain privileges that Jude will never experience. Their success and the opportunities given to one but not the other shows that the experience of sexism is not monolithic and heavily impacted by other points of advantage or disadvantage, particularly race.

The different opportunities afforded to the female characters in the novel portray levels of intersectional feminism, though the varying levels of violence also work to uncover silenced stereotypes within Black sexism. The violence perpetrated against women is a staple of feminist theory, seeing as violent encounters are often instigated by men in dominant positions. However, Crenshaw, while studying the representation of Black and White women in publicized cases of domestic abuse, found that White women are often portrayed as survivors while Black women are either excluded from portrayals entirely or seen as victims (1261). She argues that the near complete exclusion of Black women in discussions of violence against women, paired with the apathetic and victim blaming aspect of the little representation that does exist, shows the dangers of separating sexism from racism (Crenshaw 1261). This separation is often made by feminist groups not wanting to make domestic violence issues about race and anti-racist groups not wanting to paint Black men in the violent stereotypes already used against them, but these attitudes then silence the overlapping Black women that are a part of both communities. They face a separate set of stereotypes in this sense, being cast as the helpless victim blamed for her own abuse or not being cast at all. This principle is seen in Desiree's story, where she is blamed for the abuse she suffered by her mother and her own self. While she lives with her husband Sam, he is known to have brutally abused her on multiple occasions, including once where he "grabbed her by the throat and aimed his handgun at her face" while the couple were arguing (Bennett 16). Luckily, Desiree is able to break free from this abusive cycle, despite the significant reservations she has about leaving Sam and going to Mallard. Despite this, Desiree cannot help but blame herself for the abuse. She rationalizes Sam's behavior by asking herself, "Who could blame him, living in a world that refused to respect him as a man?" and argues she could have tried "harder to make a peaceful home" (Bennett 26). She still internalizes the abuse that she faced, blaming herself for his actions. Rather than recognizing these acts for what they were, a desperate attempt for a man to establish violent domination over another human being, she rationalizes his behavior and internalizes her guilt and shame. She finds herself responsible, not Sam. This pattern of thought is a common thought for many women, regardless of race. Adele blaming her daughter for the abuse, claiming that she had "tried to warn her all her life" that marrying a dark-skin man would end up damaging her, is also not uncommon for such cases (Bennett 37). However, these tropes become particularly more harmful when noting the different levels of representation for Black and White women, as highlighted by Crenshaw. Since Black women are more likely the victims and White women the survivors in abuse cases, these points of blame fit into the paradigm against women of color who survived abuse. Desiree fits into the stereotype of victim for half of the novel because of how she is blamed, finding herself in the same role as other women of color in media. However, she is eventually able to subvert this trope, particularly in the end when she faces her worries and moves to Houston with Early, finally "looking forward" for the first time in her life (Bennett 340). Since her and Early's relationship had been largely plagued by her past relationship with Sam, this step was a large one for her to take. Though it took some time for Desiree to move to this new position, she was able to move on from her past, transforming herself from a victim to a survivor. The stereotypes surrounding women in abusive situations are well-reflected within Desiree's initial story of abuse, especially in the victim blaming mindset evidenced in herself and Adele's internal monologues. While Desiree was originally cast in a similar stereotype of other women of color, she was able to subvert the trope by the end of the novel, allowing Bennett to both highlight the different set of stereotypes assigned to women of color and break them at the same time.

These various differences are shown clearly throughout the novel, but Bennett's portrayal of the overlapping sexism experienced by both White women and women of color solidifies the knowledge that sexism is not the monolith currently portrayed in the media. The limited autonomy felt by both Desiree and Stella as a result of their husbands, for example, is an experience that can and is felt by both White women and women of color, providing a potential place of unification between the groups. Desiree, for one, was clearly limited in her power and freedoms while she was married to Sam. This is not only evident in the abuse she suffered, but Sam's response to her leaving. Though Desiree left immediately after a fight, and Sam was aware of his own actions leading up to her disappearance, he still tells Early he has no idea why Desiree ran away from him (Bennett 51). He even argues that their fight was just common for "married folks" (Bennett 51). His flippant reaction to his own actions, complete dismissal of any blame, and rationalization for his abuse is not uncommon for perpetrators to hold. Neither is the fact that both Ceel and Sam refer to Jude as Sam's kid rather than Desiree's (Bennett 30 & 51). The men involved in bringing Desiree back to Sam view her as property rather than a person, showing the dominion Sam has over her. She is limited in her freedoms, both evidently within their relationship and as she tries to flee it, showing the limited autonomy her husband allowed her. These limitations, though vastly different, are still well-reflected in Stella. As mentioned earlier, Stella's husband Blake often overreacts to Stella stepping outside of the sexist narrative he constructed for the couple. This sexist narrative not only consists of Stella being the helpless damsel but of Blake being the fearless protector and provider. Blake's position as the head of the household is regularly referenced and instilled in Stella, as his role as the sole provider is covered whenever she threatens their dichotomy. This is seen when she becomes an adjunct Statistics professor, as he reminds her that he has "always provided for this family," so she does not need to take on a new position (Bennett 225). He does not consider why Stella has taken on the position, nor does he even ask her. He only sees how her independence threatens his narrative, allowing him to construct arguments in an attempt to force her back into submission. In this way, Blake and Sam can be seen limiting their wife's autonomy and freedom, just in different ways. Both Stella and Desiree have been cast into specific roles t hat they need to escape, feeling the boundaries of a life they did not truly want or choose to create. Both women eventually break free from these boundaries as well, providing another marker of unification within sexist stereotypes.

Smaller and less obvious examples of overlapping experiences exist as well, particularly in how both women are ridiculed for being outspoken in their adulthood in some capacity. Desiree is clearly the more outspoken of the two, a fact that apparently incites the town to react to her outspokenness in adulthood in exceedingly prejudicial ways. A prime example of this would be when Desiree and Early initially meet in the Surly Goat in Mallard, where Early rips off the scarf covering the bruise Sam gave her, leaving Desiree to feel "as exposed as if he'd lifted up her skirt" (Bennett 50). She panics and pushes him away from her, a reaction that only elicits whoops and laughter from the crowd of town-goers rather than questions or assistance (Bennett 52). Rather than viewing Desiree's panicky reaction as something that should be questioned and discussed, they instead view it as a funny over-response that they can then debate and gossip about. They have little regard for Desiree's actual emotions, instead viewing her as a too-loud child who made a scene. This downplay of emotions and responses is also seen in Stella, who lives as a more quiet and shy woman than her sister. It is understandable why her own town would be so surprised when she stood up in a homeowner's meeting to loudly protest the Black family moving in by yelling, "You must stop them, Percy! If you don't, there'll be more and then what? Enough is enough!" (Bennett 146). Surprise is understandable; laughter and ridicule is not. This downplay of her emotions and thoughts is again seen in Blake, who is more amused at "his shy Stella making a scene" than understanding of his own wife's thoughts (Bennett 147). Stella's outspokenness is not a sign of strength, nor is it a positive attribute that Blake views in his wife. Instead, it is a point of amusement and hilarity that he recalls fondly. Her words are downplayed in order to satisfy his amusing take on them, leading Stella to be placed in the same box as Desiree. Neither woman is taken seriously in either event, leading both to be somewhat ridiculed and laughed at for their moments of outspokenness. Desiree and Stella are alike in nearly every way except the outward perception of their race, allowing Bennett to use these characters to show the overlapping experiences of women of color and White women. This overlap does prove that White and Black women do face similar issues as a result of the patriarchy, though the very different lives allowed to be led by the women of the story does still show that the patriarchy intersects with ideas of White supremacy. The stereotypes and prejudices faced by Black women stem from both sexism and racism, creating a different set of sexist rules and principles thrown against them as compared to those thrown against White women. This is why an entirely separate form of literary analysis had to be constructed around Black women's literature and the politics that inspired it (Allen 391). This is why the separation of Black and White women within discussions of feminism have disallowed "the development of a political discourse that more fully empowers women of color" (Crenshaw 1252). This is why, while looking at a novel such as The Vanishing Half, looking for threads of sexism is not enough to see the entire picture. Racism and sexism are not mutually exclusive, and they often intersect to form intersectional experiences. When one abandons this principle of intersectionality in discussions of sexism in literature, one abandons the experiences of women of color completely.

Works Cited:

Allen, Leah Claire. "From New Criticism to Postcritique: Kate Millett's Method in The History of The Present." Criticism, vol. 63, no. 4, Fall 2021, pp. 1-28. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/.

Bennett, Britt. The Vanishing Half. Riverhead Books, 2020.

Crenshaw, Kimberle. "Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color." Stanford Law Review, vol. 43, no. 6, 1991, pp. 1241-99. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039.

Lutz, Helma. "Intersectionality as Method." DiGeSt. Journal of Diversity and Gender Studies, vol. 2, no. no. 1-2, 2015, pp. 39-44. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.11116/jdivegendstud.2.1- 2.0039.

Allen, Leah Claire. "From New Criticism to Postcritique: Kate Millett's Method in The History of The Present." Criticism, vol. 63, no. 4, Fall 2021, pp. 1-28. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/.

Crenshaw, Kimberle. "Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color." Stanford Law Review, vol. 43, no. 6, 1991, pp. 1241-1299. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039.

Lutz, Helma. "The Invention of 'Intersectionality': A Brief History of a Keyword for Women's Studies." Gender and Education, vol. 19, no. 1, 2007, pp. 1-9.

McCall, Leslie. "The Complexity of Intersectionality." Signs, vol. 30, no. 3, 2005, pp. 1771-1800.

Purvis, Taylor. "Reading The Vanishing Half: A Dialogue on Racial Passing, Feminism, and the American Dream." Women's Studies, vol. 50, no. 6, 2021, pp. 529-544.

Rottenberg, Catherine. "Intersectionality and Feminist Politics." European Journal of Women's Studies, vol. 13, no. 3, 2006, pp. 193-209.

Shaw, Susan M. "Intersectionality and Its Discontents: Intersectionality as Traveling Theory." Signs, vol. 38, no. 4, 2013, pp. 993-1015.

Thiong'o, Ngg wa. "In Search of a Truly Global Literature: Crossing Cultural Borders and the Myth of the Universal." PMLA, vol. 115, no. 3, 2000, pp. 478-486.

Williams, Delano. "The Vanishing Half: An Interview with Brit Bennett." The Paris Review, 2020, https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2020/06/10/the-vanishing-half-an-interview-with-brit-bennett/.

Outline:

I. Introduction A. Background on intersectionality and its importance B. Overview of The Vanishing Half and its main themes C. Thesis statement: "The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett highlights the impact of intersectionality on the lives of its characters, illustrating the unique experiences and challenges faced by Black women, and challenging traditional feminist analysis that has historically excluded these voices."

II. Intersectionality in The Vanishing Half A. The experiences of the Vignes twins as light-skinned Black women who choose to pass as white B. The impact of intersecting identities on the lives of the characters C. The importance of intersectional analysis in understanding the characters' experiences

III. Challenges faced by Black women in the novel A. Discrimination based on race, gender, and class B. Examples from the experiences of Desiree and other characters C. The intersection of race and gender in the characters' lives

IV. Critique of traditional feminist analysis A. Historical exclusion of women of color from feminist discourse B. The need for intersectional analysis in feminist theory C. Bennett's contribution to intersectional feminist literature

V. Conclusion A. Summary of key points B. Implications for understanding the experiences of Black women in contemporary society C. Future directions for intersectional analysis in literature and feminist theory