Even another Free Person of Color, Richard is said to be repelled by Anna Bella's African appearance because it represents to him the degraded condition of slavery that, in Richard's mind, threatens all peoples with Black blood and especially a Black appearance. As Marcel's father expresses concern early on, those like Marcel who stand on the borders of Black and White most evidently in their appearance must spurn those who evidence Blackness, like Anna Bella and Marcel's later mistress, Cecile.
Marcel's spirit is immune to such racism, in contrast to Richard who "would never have considered for an instant infusing by marriage into his own line those strong indications of Negro blood which had proved so obvious and profound a disadvantage." (160) Society will never be equal, because the people still are not White, thus it seems foolish to Richard to lower himself. Richard is practical, but in contrast, Marcel sees Anna Bella...
But despite his admiration for learning and his instinctive lack of racism, Marcel faces a quandary between marrying for love, and pursuing knowledge. Marcel's father promises him an education if he goes to Paris and leaves his true love at home. Marcel's father underscores the fact that his son must live and dwell in the realities of his society. On one hand, Marcel's wealth enables him to gain one of his greatest desires, education. But the other hand, that wealth is based upon plantation labor, and feeds a racist society whose values he cannot fathom. Because of the fact that society divides them, both as a couple and as fragmented racial and social persons because of their birth and appearance, both Marcel and Anna Bella struggle, and ultimately cannot find peace within the conventional ties of wedded bliss.
