Inheriting the vices of both the white and black races, traditionally tragic mulatto characters have been conveniently depicted in much abolitionist literature as intricate and inextricably conflicted individuals; miserable and raceless “worshipping the whites and despised by them… despising and despised by the negroes.” Fundamentally challenging stereotypical notions of hatred and self-denial are the Mulatta characters Cassie and Iola. Indeed, while both characters display to some extent the ability to be analyzed through the conventional tragic literary lens of Mulatta, both, on a higher level, dramatize the eradication of the bulwark that is self-hatred and subsequent denial, paving the way for self-affirmation. actualization and subsequent liberation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The stereotypical mulatto woman, who wants nothing more than to find a white lover and then sink, accompanied by slow, anguished music, to a tragic end, is challenged, literally, by Iola Leroy. Raised white, Iola cultivates a pro-slavery attitude. One that is quickly upended after the stark and sudden manner through which the truth of his legacy is exposed. Immediately after being thrown into slavery, the complicated relationship between notions of biology and culture emerges, Iola ultimately not only accepts and embraces her black heritage but, more importantly (or rather, more defiantly) manifests this embrace by espousing , not white. Doctor Gresham, but rather the mulatto Latimer. In a case where the “tragic” nature of the traditionally tragic Mulatta should have emerged, the character of Iola Leroy is found to be anything but homogenized. Because, even though she is hesitant to reveal her black identity to employers later in the novel, she not only reveals it later, but she sincerely identifies as black and is unwilling to live in the shadow, "which I deeply hate, as if the blood in my veins was an undiscovered crime of my soul. This exemplifies the very things that aid in the direct refutation of feelings of self-hatred and self-loathing. Because, while the traditionally depicted literary Mulatto would illustrate to her audience the many completely contrary elements of things like fear, rejection, elitism, guilt and shame that swarm deep within her, Iola does not. Her belief is palpable; she publicly establishes herself as black and dedicates her life to strengthening the black community through education and subsequent political activism. Completing the illustration of the challenge of traditional representations of tragic Mulattas is Iola's role as a teacher. It is this role that proves to be an integral part of black resistance, as well as an integral supplement that reifies Iola's black identity. Education fostered a better class of blacks and challenged racial stereotypes. Yet a problem emerged. Indeed, “while the insistence of a 'better class of blacks' challenged racial stereotypes, it also helped promote them by characterizing the masses as degenerates whose salvation depended on the most privileged,” i.e., a person with a particularly privileged background like Iola . The mulatto teacher characters exemplified the cultural conflict between middle-class black leaders and the black masses. Mulattos dramatized, because of their resemblance to whites, the possibility of abandoning black social causes and "passing" as white. Iola doesn't do that. Iola does not 'pass' as white. Iola transcends her victimization as a slave and is equipped with strength and conviction, 2004.