Within the context of the novel, Birdie's inclination to try to make herself invisible due to the racial tension she felt in her home positioned her as a "neutered mutation" within Trey Ellis' concept of the "cultural mulatto".ĭuring this period the strategy for social change through peaceful protests that are associated with the Civil Rights Movement were being challenged by new African American leaders. These were not overturned until the 1967 Supreme Court ruling Loving v. At that time, there were anti-miscegenation laws in many US states. They marry and have their first daughter, Colette/Cole in 1964 Birdie is born in 1967. īirdie's parents met in January 1963 during the Kennedy administration. Boston busing desegregation flamed racial tensions, resulting in riots, beatings and violence which persisted for many years. Violent protests disrupted the city as forced desegregation was implemented in public schools beginning in the 1974 school year. She longs for her sister Cole and their father, ultimately running away from home to find them.īackground and historical context Ĭaucasia is set in 1975 Boston, Massachusetts. Growing up on the run, and fearful her true identity could endanger her mother's life, Birdie seeks to understand who she is and how she fits into the world. Senna upends the traditional " tragic mulatto" story line by exploring Birdie's desire to be accepted as African American, although she appears to be Caucasian. Much of the novel centers around the theme of racial passing. The novel is set in Boston, Massachusetts, during the turbulent mid-1970s. It is the coming-of-age story of two multiracial girls, Birdie Lee and her sister Cole, who have a Caucasian mother and an African American father. They settle on Jewish, and Birdie adopts the name Jesse Goldman, which she uses during the six years they are on the run.Caucasia (1998) is the first novel written by American author, Danzy Senna. Puerto Rican, Sicilian, Pakistani, Greek” (130).
When Birdie and her mother are concocting their fake identities, Sandy says: “You can be anything. On the plane to San Francisco, a man asks if she is Pakistani or Indian (378). Throughout the novel, people remark that Birdie looks Italian (107, 130, 195). When the family splits up and she goes on the run with her mother, she learns to pass as white to keep their identities secret. Growing up in Boston’s Black Power movement, she learns to identify as black, like her father and sister. Because Birdie has pale skin, European features, and long dark hair, she looks ethnically ambiguous and spends most of the novel trying to conform to the identity of those around her. Birdie is the mixed-race daughter of an African-American father, Deck Lee, and a white mother, Sandra Lodge Lee. Birdie Lee is the novel’s protagonist, and the book spans her life from age eight to 14.
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