Individual, Family, and Society: Multiple Identity Dilemmas of Mulattos in The Vanishing Half

In her new work The Vanishing Half, American black female writer Brit Bennett explores the phenomenon of "racial passing" in American society. Bennett exposes the identity dilemmas faced by biracial individuals in different contexts under the backdrop of American racism through her portrayal of the twin sisters Desiree and Stella, who are biracial with one sister identifying as black and the other as white. At the individual, familial, and societal levels, the differential acceptance of their black heritage by the twin sisters reflects the struggles faced by biracial individuals in the construction of their self-identity, ethnic identity, and social identity within American society. Through her portrayal of the identity dilemmas of biracial individuals in the United States, Bennett not only denounces the societal phenomena of "white supremacy" and "black-white opposition" but also seeks to validate the identities of biracial individuals who exist on the margins of society.