Quicksand / Chapter 18
“It was, too, as she was uncomfortably aware even a trifle ridiculous, and mentally caricatured herself, moving shuttle like from continent to continent. From the prejudiced restrictions of the New World to the easy formality of the old. From the pale calm of Copenhagen to the colorful lure of Harlem.”
Caricature- Noun
A representation of a person that is exaggerated for comic effect ( The dictionary app)
I understand this passage better by knowing the meaning of these two words. Helen felt as if she was unimportant. As she traveled back and forth in between continents that void she was looking to fill , could define her entire existence. She seemed to exaggerate the importance of every detail of everything, and now that exaggeration was of herself. In her mind, she was looked at as a joke in Harlem as well as Denmark, Copenhagen.
