Black Skin, White Masks

by

Frantz Fanon

Mayotte Capécia (Lucette Ceranus) Character Analysis

Mayotte Capécia is the pen name of Lucette Ceranus, author of the 1948 semi-autobiographical novel I Am a Martinican Woman. Fanon refers to this book to describe the feelings of self-hatred that colonialism instils in black women, which encourages them to pursue white men at any cost, even when this leads to unhealthy relationships and eventual abandonment.
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Mayotte Capécia (Lucette Ceranus) Character Timeline in Black Skin, White Masks

The timeline below shows where the character Mayotte Capécia (Lucette Ceranus) appears in Black Skin, White Masks. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: The Woman of Color and the White Man
Colonialism, Diaspora, and Alienation Theme Icon
Material vs. Psychological Oppression Theme Icon
Self-Image and Self-Hatred Theme Icon
Desire, Aspiration, and Competition Theme Icon
...He quotes Lucette Ceranus’s semi-autobiographical novel I Am a Martinican Woman, written under the pseudonym Mayotte Capécia. In the quotation, the narrator expresses her desire to marry a white man alongside... (full context)
Colonialism, Diaspora, and Alienation Theme Icon
Material vs. Psychological Oppression Theme Icon
Knowledge vs. Ignorance Theme Icon
Self-Image and Self-Hatred Theme Icon
Desire, Aspiration, and Competition Theme Icon
The novel portrays Mayotte’s unconditional and self-sacrificing love for a white man whom she loves because of his whiteness—and... (full context)
Colonialism, Diaspora, and Alienation Theme Icon
Material vs. Psychological Oppression Theme Icon
Knowledge vs. Ignorance Theme Icon
Self-Image and Self-Hatred Theme Icon
Desire, Aspiration, and Competition Theme Icon
Martinican women like Mayotte have been taught to believe that their race will be saved by becoming whiter. Fanon... (full context)
Colonialism, Diaspora, and Alienation Theme Icon
Material vs. Psychological Oppression Theme Icon
Self-Image and Self-Hatred Theme Icon
...thus many black people become desperate for “white approval.” In I Am a Martinican Woman, Mayotte’s white husband leaves her, giving her instructions on how to raise their son whom he... (full context)
Colonialism, Diaspora, and Alienation Theme Icon
Material vs. Psychological Oppression Theme Icon
Knowledge vs. Ignorance Theme Icon
...George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Sigmund Freud. He returns to the characters of Nini and Mayotte, wondering if it is possible for black people to find different patterns of behavior. (full context)