Clare Kendry Research Paper

It is that belief that makes Clare to participate in parties in Harlem. When Clare first visits to Irene's party she danced "more often with a Negro" (204). Since dancing is an activity which requires many skin ships and partnership with a partner, it would be easier to dance with people who they like or comfortable with. So if Clare tends to dance with black men it means her pleasure toward them. Clare is finding her happiness in this way. Why Clare came back to black community and desire to mingle with African American even she ran out of them twelve years ago? Is passing still worth for Clare? The tea party functions as a turning point for Clare. It is with this event that her value moves from wealth to happiness and a safe life which was Irene's "most important and desired thing in life" (235). Clare is not the only person who changed from the tea party but also Irene.

The main reason Clare is an outsider is because she is “passing” as a Caucasian. The act of “passing” is a very interesting concept that can be quite troubling. “What is troubling about the concept of racial “passing” is that it necessitates placing people of mixed ancestry in one racial category over another” (Nisetich 2013). This is exactly what Clare is doing with her life, she is saying she’s part of a race that she really isn’t. She has even taken it as far as fooling her husband, John Bellew. They became a couple because he is a wealthy, white business man. On the other hand, John is an extremely racist man. This is shown from his comments when he had lunch with: Clare, Irene, and Gertrude. On this day, is when Clare realized she’s going to be in a lot of trouble when John finds out the

     In Nella Larsen’s Passing, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry show us a great deal about race and sexuality in the 1920s. Both are extremely light-skinned women of African-American descent. However similar they appear to be, their views on race, a very controversial issue at the time, differ significantly. Clare chooses to use her physical appearance as an advantage in America’s racist and sexist society, leaving behind everything that connects her to her African-American identity. She presents herself as an object of sexual desire, flaunting herself to gain attention. Irene is practically the opposite, deciding that she wants to remain with the label of being black. She is subtle with her

During her shopping trip with her friend, Felise, Irene accidentaly met Jack Bellew. Irene considered warning Clare that Jack might aware of her racial status and possibly Clare’s too. However, Irene told nothing for she was worried that Clare’s divorce might encourage Irene’s husband, Brian, to leave her for Clare. Irene relationship with her husband was not good at that time, and she noted that Brian might like Clare more than friend. On one night, Clare accompanied Irene and Brian to Felise’s party which was held on a top of a building. Clare husband, Jack, suddenly came and shouted at Clare “You’re a nigger, a damned dirty nigger!, and tragically, the story ended with Clare’s death which she fell from an open window of the top of that

Kate Kimball is an award-winning fiction author who has worked hard to be in the position she is in now. Despite currently struggling with her health, she has continued to peruse her English PhD in Creative Writing here at Florida State University. Born in beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah Kimball is surprised to find herself over 2,000 miles away now studying in the sunshine state. FSU offers one of the top creative writing programs that currently is ranked top 5 in the nation according to The Atlantic Monthly. Kimball was excited to be accepted into the accredited program after earning her bachelor’s from the University of Utah and masters at Virginia Tech. Kimball has always loved writing and says, “Creative writing allows you to write about

This stated prejudice can be noted in a scene where Clare, Irene, and Gertrude are discussing the skin tones of their children. Clare addresses them, “No, I have no boys and I don’t think I’ll ever have any. I’m afraid. I nearly died of terror the whole nine months before Margery was born for fear that she might be dark. Thank goodness, she turned out alright. But I’ll never risk it again. Never! The strain was simply too–too hellish” (Larsen, 25). The extent to which the social stigma of the 1920s had tainted the views of Clare, though she is light-skinned, who is a black woman. She dreads over the thought of having a dark skinned child as if that would be the most despicable thing that could happen to her. Clare describes her African-American genetics as “hellish” and further speaks to the effects of colorism on black women. At this point, Clare is not only passing but she is denying her race in its entirety, making it out to be something wrong. Passing no longer exists as a social construct for African American social mobility, but rather a means for inhibiting any upward mobility through self-deprivation in regards to their culture and race.

Although Irene feels that there is "nothing sacrificial in Clare's idea of life, no allegiance beyond her own immediate desire," it is apparent that Clare's desire to return to her African American race is honest, even if the motives seem rather one-sided (Larsen 144). Irene considers Clare to be "selfish, cold and hard" (Larsen 144). Irene also feels that Clare does not have "even in the slightest artistic or sociological interest in the race that some members of other races displayed…[She] cared nothing of the race, she only belonged to it" (Larsen 182). This may be true, but it does not diminish Clare's own pain at having to deny her African American heritage, and her desire to return to it. Irene represents a portion of society who feel that people who pass must have a morally acceptable reason to return to their African American roots such as a desire to rebel against a white society that has forced them into the role of a white person. Just because Clare feels "no permanent allegiance to either the black or white worlds or any of the classic anguish of the tragic mulatto" does not mean that she is not a tragic mulatto (Washington 48). In her own way, "Clare Kendry belongs with that group of tragic mulattos…emerg[ing] as an individual, not as a stereotype" (Davis 98). Because she wants to return to her own race on her own terms illustrates her individuality in the face of the

Bridget biddy mason was born a slave in 1818. Bridget was born in mississippi. Although she was born in mississippi she was still a slave in Georgia and she was also held in south carolina. She was a slave women that worked as a midwife/nurse. She was born on a plantation owned by a man named Robert Marion Smith and a lady named Rebbecca (crosby) Smith.

Eric is extremely caring towards his friends and family. Even though Eric found out Sarah Byrnes could talk the whole time that she was in the hospital he did not say a word to anyone because he knew what would happen if Sarah Byrnes dad found out. “That's what I thought, you’ve been hearing me all along”(Crutcher 107). Eric knew what would happen if Sarah Byrnes were to leave the hospital, so he did not say anything. Due to the way that Eric kept the secret about Sarah Byrnes being able to talk shows how caring her is towards his friends.

“Go within everyday and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out” (A Quote by Katherine Dunham 1). Once one of the most successful dancers in both American and European theater, Katherine Dunham, a dancer, anthropologist,social activist,and educator, continues to inspire people throughout the world. Named America’s irreplaceable Dance Treasure in 2000. Dunham remains a name heard regularly in dance schools across the world (“Katherine Dunham Biography” 4). She is known for always trying to make a difference and in the process she has become of the world’s greatest humanitarians (Osumare 5). Katherine Dunham’s work in African American rights in the dance world and her creation of new styles of dance makes her an important figure in American dance History.

In the book, Irene’s need for certainty about her own being leads to Clare’s demise. At the beginning of the book, Irene has defined her concepts of race and sex and never revisits them. She can only function when her world is in stasis. She makes it her priority to keep her husband and sons happy and have their lives remain the same. Her determination to maintain security derives the action in the book. When Irene is in the Drayton, a restaurant for whites only, a woman whom she does not realize is Clare is staring at her. Irene thinks, “White people were so stupid about such things for all that they usually asserted that they were able to tell; and by the most ridiculous means: fingernails, palms of hands, shapes of ears, teeth, and other equally silly rot. They always took her for an Italian, a Spaniard, a Mexican, or a Gypsy. Never, when she was alone, had they even remotely seemed to suspect that she was a Negro. No, the woman sitting there staring at her could not possibly know” (Larsen 16). Clare represents a disruption from Irene’s routine and security and, she will always bring instability in her life. Irene was afraid Clare would give her away. When Irene is in Clare’s company, she is forced to revisit how she defines her race and sex causing her so much emotional turmoil that she loses mental stability. This

Clare on the other hand immediately jumps to the conclusion that Claude converted for self-preservation as he might “get along better by turning” (169) Jewish. Irene frames Clare’s point of view as a moral failing on her part, and in turn is the only perspective the reader is exposed to. However, by taking into account the difference in class privilege Irene and Clare had in their childhood, Clare’s reaction begins to make more sense. After Clare’s father’s death, she moved away to another neighbourhood with her white Aunts, who “belonged to the generation that had written and read long articles headed: ‘Will the Blacks Work?’” (159). Clare was exposed to a society hostile and biased against black people at a young age. For her, passing is a tactic of self-preservation. On the other hand, Irene’s adult life has been spent in the relatively safe and egalitarian bubble in Harlem. Irene’s black identity has never put her in a life threatening situation or challenged. Therefore, to her, passing is selfish and traitorous. By understanding the unequal footing Irene and Clare is in, we can begin to examine the concept of passing from a new perspective.

John Bellew is Clare’s white husband, and he is only with her because he doesn’t know that she is not fully white. He is very racist on countless occasions. One example of his racism is in the nickname he gives Clare. Because her skin has a darker pigment, John calls her Nig frequently. During a meeting between Clare, Irene, and Gertrude we get a glimpse of the stereotypes that the black community faced during this time period.

She uses the practice of “passing” in order to acclimate herself into the white social scene and marry a middle-class bigoted white man. That’s why, once John finds out that Clare is black, she meets her tragic end by falling out of a

“Our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities” – Mr. Linder Pg.100. In the quote Mr. Linder is expressing his organizations dislike of Blacks; like most of people in the 50’s, Mr. Linder was degrading a group of people on exterior appearances. In the play you can see hints of racism and gender discrimination from Walter when he asked Beneatha why she isn’t a nurse or maid instead of striving to become a doctor. Racism has been a long hard for Black community and other minority groups in the world. A Raisin in the Sun never gives the slightest hope of racist views ever being lifted. Over time the stain of