Flaunting (verb) – to display or obtrude oneself to public notice: a great flaunting crow – Charles Dickens.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flaunt

Quicksand: chapter 13, page 99

“Left alone, Helga began to wonder. She was dubious, too, and not a little resentful. Certainly, she loved the color with a passion that perhaps only Negroes and Gypsies know. But she had a deep in the perfection of her own taste, and no mind to be bedecked in flaunting flashy things. Still- she had to admit that Fru Dahl was right about the dressing down. It did suit her. Perhaps an evening dress. And she knew that she had lovely shoulders, and her feet were nice.”

Helga has her own taste and she knows what suits her better, however, Fru Dahl recommended to were the dress as a “display” he picked for her for the evening at first, she was kind of upset but later she began to realize that Fru was right about how a dress looks good on her and her body was perfect for a dress.

Lulled (verb) – to put to sleep or rest by soothing means: to lull a child by singing.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/lulled

Quicksand chapter 8, page 75.

“Again she had had that strange transforming experience, this time not so fleetingly, that magic sense of having come home. Harlem, teeming black Harlem, had welcomed her and lulled her into something that was she was certain peace and contentment.”

As we know Helga can’t stay in one place for a long time. And this place she moved to was better and she felt comfortable as a child who gets lulled by his/her sleep.

Apprehension (noun): anticipation of adversity or misfortune; suspicion or fear of future trouble or evil.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/apprehension

From: Complete Fiction of Nella Larsen; Quicksand “She woke in the morning unrefreshed and with that feeling of half-terrified apprehension peculiar to Christmas and birthday morning.” Helga Crane is always sad and depressed. she doesn’t really enjoy the holidays which brings happiness. She feels terrified when festivals or any holidays come and her personality is not really exciting.

Tangible (adjective): capable of being touched; discernible by the touch; material or substantial.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/tangibility

From: Complete Fiction of Nella Larsen; Quicksand “Yet her conception of it had no tangibility” Helga Crane’s character is very different and she accepts the hatred as if it is a normal life and she thinks happiness isn’t even really important. therefore, she has no will of trying to be happy.

Emaciated (adjective): bony, thin.                                                                                                           Someone who is dangerously skinny and skeletal-looking can be described as emaciated. It’s probably how you’d start to look after a few weeks in the wilderness with only berries and bugs for dinner.

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/emaciated

From: A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka

” While for grown-ups the hunger artist was often merely a joke, something they participated in because it was fashionable, the children looked on amazed, their mouths open, holding each other’s hands for safety, as he sat there on scattered straw—spurning a chair—in black tights, looking pale, with his ribs sticking out prominently, sometimes nodding politely, answering questions with a forced smile, even sticking his arm out through the bars to let people feel how emaciated he was…”                                                                                                                                      Ths statement means that everyone was so amazed by seeing him how skinny he was because he did not eat any bite food or sip of drink for a long time period.  And for children, he was a monster looking person in the cage.

Excruciate (adjective):                                                                                                                                      Causing great pain or anguish : agonizing.                                                                                                  Very intense : extreme

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excruciating

From: A Hunger Artist                                                                                                       “Sometimes there were nightly groups of watchers who carried out their vigil very laxly, deliberately sitting together in the distant corner and putting all their attention into playing card there, clearly intending to allow the hunger artist a small refreshment, which according to their way of thinking, he could get from some secret supplies. Nothing more excruciating to hunger artist than such watchers”                                                                                                                               This sentence means that people still thought that hunger artist has some secret ways of having some snakes because people believed no one could bear the hunger for a long time of period. Yet, hunger artist was a true artist who can never break his honesty although people force him to eat during his hunger game. And he was very upset with people who thought he was having secret ways of getting food, which he never did and never will.

Cease (verb) : to come to an end, to bring an activity or action to an end : discontinue                   a) the fighting gradually ceased                                                                                                                     b) they have been ordered to ceaseand desist

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cease

This word is from “A Rose for Emily” by Willian Faulkner, “When we next saw Miss Emily, she had grown fat and her hair was turning gray. During the next few years it grew grayer and grayer until it attained an even pepper-and-salt iron-gray, when it ceased turning”

When Emily was young, beautiful, and kind, all the town guys had a crush on her, yet, years after everyone was curious about what has happened to Emily, what was her end like. Everyone was curious, mostly woman were curious about seeing Emily’s old version like, old woman with gray hair, fat face etc.