Summary Of Passing By Nella Larsen

Later when Clare decides to visit Irene, we see them get emotional over Clare’s situation.

Throughout the book it was shown that Clare envied Irene. She wanted her lifestyle, she reminisced off old situations from their past Clare tried to say that they were just alike and the same.throughout the book clare continued to try to convince herself that they had so much in common . Clare commented on everything in irene's life and tried to be like her . As well as when she harassed Irene with a letter. She also envied her because she would keep showing up at Irene's house without invitation which showed her urge to have everything Irene has. For instance , on page 74 it says , “ there was a slight crash , on the floor at her feet lay the shattered cup. Dark stains dotted the bright rug. Spread. The chatter stopped . Went on . Before her , Zulena gathered up the white fragments”. Here it's saying , that Clare was a master manipulator and Clare tried to manipulate Brian and Irene into her Trap of telling them what they want to hear . She thought this would work on Brian so he would leave Irene for her , and she would no longer have to envy all that Irene has she would know be all that Irene was .which shows Larsen's literary method of Characterization

Irene, from Nella Larsen’s Passing, displays a vengeful characteristic through her growing relationship with Clare. Irene is vengeful, but continues to be very loyal. Irene threw Clare out of a window, and exposed her secret to her husband out of revenge. Clare kept a secret of being African American from her husband who was a white man in the Harlem Renaissance era. Irene knew if Clare’s husband knew she was black he would leave her and Clare’s life would fall apart, so that is what she did. Irene shows jealousy when she believes that Clare and her husband are having an affair and throws her out of a window. Irene shows her jealousy soon after her husband and Clare begin to form a relationship. This relationship drives Irene to extreme vengeance by

The novel, Passing by Nella Larsen, was written and based on Nella Larsen’s own family life where she was treated terribly by her mother, who was white. Shown by Thadious Davis Nella Larsen, the novel Passing by Nella Larsen may be built on the suffering and events that Nella Larsen faced as a child of mixed ancestry in a time when it was not accepted like it is in the present. As Davis stated, Nella Larsen wrote many of her novels with reversed names and “paternal/maternal roles” making Clare supposed to represent Nella Larsen’s father and John Bellew representing Nella Larsen’s mother. This would explain many things about Nella Larsen’s difficult childhood and the roles her parents participated in shaping her childhood years. Such as John, Clare’s wife, representing Nella Larsen’s white mother who was not a caring mother towards Nella Larsen because of her mixed ancestry. Like John, Nella Larsen’s mother was a racist who was in a relationship with a person of non-white ancestry that was passing as white because of their lighter skin and to gain more equality than they had before.

Larsen’s style is a tricky one; in Passing, Larsen’s narration is highly unreliable. Told from the viewpoint of Irene, many aspects are skewed, especially in regards to Clare. In the beginning of the novel, Irene recalls events from Clare’s childhood: “Irene Redfield seemed to see a pale small girl sitting on a ragged blue sofa, sewing pieces of bright red cloth together, while her drunken father…raged threateningly up and down the shabby room, bellowing curses and making spasmodic lunges at her…” (9), yet later she remembers Clare being “selfish, and cold, and hard” (10). If the reader looks past the bias, we see that Clare’s life has been especially difficult and that Irene’s strange dislike for her is completely unwarranted. Larsen’s style

Their relationship kind of reminds me of the bible verse with the father and two sons. One son leaves and spends all his money on wild living while the other stays and works on the farm with his father. Once the son returns the father welcomes him with open arms and throws a celebration for him. When the other son sees this he becomes mad because he has always been there and never gotten a celebration. Clare is the son that went out on his own only to come back, and Irene is the son that got jealous when the other returned.

Irene's opinion is that people are “Strangers” even in their racial consciousness. Between them, the barrier was just as high, just as broad, and just as firm as if Clare did not run that strain of black blood” (110). Even though Irene and Clare are both light skinned, Clare chooses to take advantage of “passing” while Irene chooses to embrace her culture and identity. This shows two different perspectives on their ideas of race, and identity. Irene mentions that both are strangers in their racial consciousness, even though they are the same race.

While there are moments of tension and ambiguity, Irene's acknowledgment of Clare's positive qualities, especially in a social context, adds layers to their complex dynamic. It contributes to the intricate blend of friendship and rivalry, and that defines Irene and Clare's interactions. Although the narrator almost exclusively writes or paraphrases Irene’s perspective and opinions, thus repressing Clare’s viewpoint. Clare, throughout her passing, is presented as a strong force who isn’t afraid to take what she

Nella Larsen references colour several times in her novel, Passing, as a tool to convey the underlying themes of the story. She employs different colours such as gold to portray social class, red and pink to portray sexuality and lust, as well as black to portray race. A word search was done in order to determine every scenario in the book in which the colour was used. All interpretations and analysis were done based on that.

With the idea of Irene’s privilege in mind, it complicates Irene’s critical views on Clare passing. First off, Irene’s belief that Clare passes because there is “nothing sacrificial in

Young, Irene Redfield witnesses Clare Kendry,-a girl of her race who later rises in status by passing completely as whites, being abused by her father. Later in life,

When October Brown gives her flirtatious farewell, “Bye, James,” to Irene’s father, Irene tries to deny that there is an intimate relationship between her father and teacher (12). Even though Irene tries to lie to herself like “an innocent

When Irene finally realizes that this woman is Clare, someone who chooses to “pass” and hide all traces of her black heritage, Irene’s opinion of her changes. She no longer wants to be involved with Clare in any way, and “had no desire or intention of making the slightest effort about Tuesday. Nor any other day for that matter. She was through with Clare Kendry.” (p. 31) Irene is appalled that someone can so easily throw away her background just for the sake of gaining privilege over another race. When Clare asks her if she had ever thought of passing, Irene replies, “No. Why should I? You see, Clare, I’ve everything I want.” (p. 28) She is happy with what she has, not even having to give up anything to get there. Or at least that’s what she convinces herself to believe. Irene is again hypocritical in her beliefs. Even when she opposes Clare’s view of passing, she is still very interested in the idea. “The truth was, she was curious. There were things she wanted to ask Clare Kendry. She wished to find out about this hazardous business of ‘passing’…” (p. 24) She even admitted that she held for her “a fascination, strange and compelling.” (p. 28) Irene doesn’t seem to be able to decide if she accepts passing as reasonable. She forces herself to disagree with passing, allowing her to hate Clare for doing it. This shows us that sexuality and race are two matters that conflict with each other, at least in Irene’s opinion. She uses race to

Irene wants to control her relationship with Clare and seems frustrated as she loses control when Clare is around. One occasion, Irene tries hard not to accept Clare’s invitation to meet her but ends up going. Later, Irene’s anger goes away just by the power of Clare’s smile, "And under her potent smile a part of Irene's annoyance with herself fled”. This constant loose of power makes Irene vulnerable and the possible affair between Clare and Brian gives Irene a motive for hating her instead of admitting her lesbianism and losing the life she has worked so hard to build.

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