Racial Ambiguity

Birdie's racial ambigous features are a major component of the novel Caucasia. While she is half black and half white, she is able to use her features to play whatever role is needed for her at the time. She uses this to survive in any situation. At the start of the novel, she plays up her white features. Then when she attends the black power school, she plays up her black features in order to fit in at the school. Then later when she needs to change her identity, she is able to pass as someone who is Jewish. While this is a beneficial survival technique, I think it'll cause problems for her in the future. She may be able to work her features to how she needs, but it doesn't work to her benefit because it doesn't give her own identity.