Passing. Passing Is A Transcendental Novel That Its Focus

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

The main plot of “Passing” focuses on two light-skinned black women, Irene Redfield and her old time friend Clare Kendry. Both women can “pass” as white women. Irene who is married to a successful African-American doctor, passes only when it is

Passing” by Nella Larsen is a great piece of art, that is mostly concentrated on the act of passing as a member of other race in order to assimilate with them and cover their own race. I have to be honest through reading the book I developed love hate relationship because how this book was structured. It is filled with really charismatic personalities such as Claire Kendry or Irene Redfield but at the same time I was really frustrated how they behave themselves regarding their race. For someone who never had any conflicts regarding race it was really hard for to rationalize Clare’s or Irene’s actions that involved covering their own identity to benefit from it either socially or financially. Book still lacks clarity in most of the cases that happen in story, for example ending where Clare dies but it might be also seen as way for reader to think and guess who might be the murderer. Even though this story takes place in the early 20th century when the African American society was still harshly treated by white society, I think we can still see a lot of racial conflicts that happen nowadays among all races that live in big cities such as New York or Paris and etc. Also, depiction of how race might be sign of belonging to specific class was interesting topic. Most importantly what frustrates me most in the story is how racial difference is troubling or forcing characters act in specific ways. By that I mean how Clare went extra mile and even married a white bigot John Bellew

The Root of Jealousy      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,

Passing by Nella Larsen revolves around two light-skinned African American women who deal with the social duality of their skin tones. Passing is defined as when a mixed or light-skinned black person poses as a white person. Larsen deals primarily with the issue of colorism which is a form of discrimination by which individuals with lighter skin tones are treated better than individuals with darker skin. The discussion of passing can be noted in the two main characters, Irene and Clare. Irene Redfield, the main character, is a well-known member of the Harlem community. Clare, unlike Irene chooses to "pass" as white. Throughout the novel, the reader is made aware of the psychological battle of these two women and black women in general, as well as the social benefits and consequences of passing. Larsen details the undesirability of dark skin in 1920s American culture, a stigma that persists even today; both within white America and ironically, the African American community itself.

Shifting the focus from ideas of racial constructs to fluidity of the human condition. By, doing this Larsen illustrates the husband as the example of societal “norms” by repressing such feeling and uses Clare and Irene as the more “progressive” example of identity fluidity.

the novel Passing, Nella Larsen explores the consequences and disadvantages of two African Americans living in a segregated society. The reconnection between Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry illustrates two different paths in regards to how they portray themselves in their own community. Larsen displays Clare Kendry as a light – skinned women who tolerates her husband’s racial comments in order to live in a higher society. Clare’s decision to secretly hide her racial background because of the desire of wanting to be accepted by individuals of an upper social class greatly affects Irene. Clare’s determination of overcoming racial barriers by passing as a white individual is similar to the Rhinelander/Jones case. In 1924 the son of the wealthiest families in New York married the daughter of a taxicab driver. However, Leonard Rhinelander appealed to have is marriage annulled due to “believing his wife to be white when he married her” (135). Rhinelander suspected Alice Jones was hiding her racial background by passing as a white individual. As the trial progressed it was concluded that that Rhinelander had an understanding of her racial background before marriage was an option between the two. The Rhinelander/Jones case demonstrates how Clare Kendry decided to pass as a white individual in order to obtain wealth and social status by marrying a white male. The three criticism texts chosen demonstrates how racial passing between Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry contributes to social status.

Passing is delivered mainly from the perspective of an african american woman named Irene Redfield. Although Irene is the main protagonist of the novel, her narration of the story gives a subjective point of view, thus, making her an unreliable narrator. Irene has manifested to intensify her jealousy and anger with Claire over time as Clare has been caught up with a rumor of an affair between Irene’s husband, Brian, hence giving a one point perspective of the story.

By developing unsteady characters, Larsen communicates how simple it is to escape one’s appreciation of themself. Clare breaks the tragic mulatto stereotype, but never has the chance to identify to a particular race. While she passes as white, Clare still seeks comfort from her friend Irene who is from the African American community. In Irene’s mind, Clare has become a mysterious double of herself due to their contrasting lives they lead. Irene is obsessive and envious of Clare. She destroys her own self by psychologically ruining herself, thinking that Clare is having an affair with her husband, Brian. While openly discussing racial passing, the book also secretly analyzes gender passing. Irene’s connection with Clare is based on desire, jealousy, and obsession. Both Clare and Irene fail to try to

The first glimpse of homosexuality that Larsen incorporates into her novel is, “An attractive-looking woman…with those dark, almost black, eyes and that wide mouth like a scarlet flower against the ivory of her skin” (15-16). Before Irene even recognized that the woman was Clare, she was instantly attracted to her. When one really looks into Larsen’s story, Passing, the reader can assume that Irene and her husband, Brian, do not have many sexual encounters with each other because Larsen states that Irene and Brian sleep in different beds and they go even further by sleeping in separate bedrooms. In the literary analysis, Passing – Nella Larsen written by Kinna, she mentions that Brian wants to quit his job in American and he wants to move to Brazil. If sleeping in different bedrooms is not enough to put Brian and Irene’s marriage on the line, then Brian wanting to settle down and move to Brazil will do the trick. As if Irene and Brian’s marriage is not on the rocks already, Irene goes and makes it worse because she just goes on ahead and assumes that her husband, Brian, and Clare are having an affair behind her back. Nella Larsen makes it sort of easy for Irene to make this assumption because Clare and Brian got awfully close to one another and Clare’s husband is a successful businessman, which most likely means that he travels almost all of the time. In the novel, both women are severely lacking sexual encounters

Clare Kendry in Larsen’s Passing, is a very complex character. She is an African American woman, who is “passing” as a white Caucasian. It all started when her Dad died when she was little, and was taken to her white aunts. Her aunts treated her like she was the help, so this made her want to be wealthy when she is older. Irene is her childhood friend, who saw Clare go through her tough times. They grew apart for a while, but met up in Chicago a couple of years ago. Clare has made herself an outsider through her actions. She is an outsider because she tries to pass as a Caucasian, uses her friends for her own benefit, and secretly wants to get back to her cultural roots.

Characters, in Heidi Durrow’s The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, force the protagonist, Rachel, to choose between her white and black side. They only acknowledge her black side while only celebrating her white qualities. Consequently, Rachel feels the obligation to accept the roles that have been thrust upon her and ignores part of her race because of the commentary from her family and peers. Rachel adapting to the portrayal of her racial identity to appeal to the normalized opinions of her appearance, demonstrates her tendency to comply with the categorization people of color face throughout society. Ultimately, leading Rachel to pick and choose the parts of her racial identity that most please the people she is with.

Racial Identity in Passing In Nella Larsen writes in her novel, Passing, about two women trying to decide which race they belong to. The two women, who are African American, have “passed” as white. Nella Larsen uses the characters to show the struggle the women face on deciding if they should reveal their true race when out in public. She also uses the setting to show readers the hardship that African Americans had during the early twentieth century, and makes the “passing” women decide whether or not they should stand up for their fellow African American’s rights. Lastly, the plot in the story allows readers to see the theme of racial identity. Nella Larsen’s work, titled Passing, uses the elements characters, setting, and plot to emphasize the theme of racial identity.

In Passing, Clare and Irene two light-skinned African American woman, try to pass for white in a segregated society. Irene infrequently passes while Clare who is biracial, lives a boastful life by identifying herself as a white woman (so it seems). Irene on the other hand strives to

Irene’s repressed sexuality According to the Introduction of Passing Penguin Edition the term passing can be defined as “the movement of a person who is legally or socially designated black into a white racial category or white social identity” (viii). In the novel Passing by Nella Larsen, readers can see passing