Nella Larsen

Nella Larsen’s second novel, Passing, is the successor to her first novel, Quicksand, and sets its plot during the 1920s. Throughout the story, the reader is introduced to the protagonist, Irene Redfield and to whom they are led to believe is the antagonist, Clare Kendry. The two women come from different backgrounds, but have grown up together until Clare has been sent away to live with some white relatives after her father’s death. Years later, the two women encounter each other once again and

Passing, which was written by Nella Larsen, revolves around the life of Irene Redfield and her friend (or maybe acquaintance is a better word for their relationship) Clare Kendry. Irene has a chance meeting with her childhood friend, Clare, and this causes Clare to want to reconnect with her old life. Clare is “passing” as white despite her black ethnic heritage and this irritates Irene who could also pass for white. Clare starts to come around Irene’s home and community, something Irene is not fond

John F. Kennedy once said, “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth”. The novel Quicksand by Nella Larsen chronicles the plight of a young, racially mixed woman struggling with alienation during the Harlem Renaissance. The female protagonist, Helga Crane, born to a Danish mother and West Indian father, was abandoned and disowned by both her mother and father. Larsen wrote the novel in a time during which racial uplift was promoted and it was expected of women to comply with society’s

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

Masquerade Clare Kendry’s life is nothing more than a masquerade. It is just a show where the characters plays assigned roles. In the novel Passing by Nella Larsen, Clare, a friend of Irene Redfield, uses her light-skinned color to gain status by passing. The conclusion of Passing demonstrates Clare Kendry’s need to pay for denying and faking her identity. Throughout the novel, Clare acts as a white woman despite her true identity is actually that of a black. She feels that it is easier to be

Fowler’s article, “Racial Repression and Doubling in Nella Larsen's Passing,” she utilizes a psychoanalytic lens to argue that in Nella Larsen’s novella Passing, the character of Clare serves as an “uncanny double” to Irene because she represents a return of racial repression. She refers to Freud’s definition of the term “uncanny double” to mean a manifestation of unconscious desires. Fowler then goes on to explain that despite criticisms Larsen has faced for her vague narrative structure and often

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

Throughout her novel Passing, Nella Larsen explores the limits of a monochromatic world and the separation of black and white. Larsen reveals what it means to be black, what it means to be white, and ultimately the struggles one faces should they try to be both. Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, two African-American women in post-World-War-I-America, find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum despite having started from the same place: the ‘black’ streets of south side Chicago. Clare, passing

Redfield, an upper-middle class black woman, and Clare Pendry, a wealthy and beautiful biracial woman who has spent many years passing, and yearns to return to her cultural roots. The theme of Passing is personal challenges cause by racism in America. Larsen wrote this book at a time when racial discrimination was still strongly in effect, and the segregation of African-Americans was prominent in United States. Passing goes deeper to look at how members of oppressed races view themselves. As an African-American

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 not only as a racial activity but also as one related to sexuality. The main character Irene Redfield is passing as straight woman that ends up killing Clare Kendry, the woman she seems to be in love with. On the surface