“Passing” refers to being white passing , something that the main characters, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, use to their advantage. ... The concept of being white passing has superficial and emotional consequences.
How are Clare and Irene similar in passing?
The greatest similarities between the two women are their frustrated ability to live authentic lives and their envy of the other for apparently being more forthright. While it is Clare who passes for white in the novel, Irene is also passing for someone that she is not .
What is the theme of passing?
Nella Larsen’s classic novel Passing explores the themes of race and identity via the phenomenon of “passing.” Clare’s decision to pass as white carries with it the assumption of self-hatred and the oppression of her identity as an African American woman.
Is Gertrude passing in passing?
Gertrude passes as white , but unlike Clare, her white husband knows of her true racial identity. Brian Redfield Junior is the son of Irene and Brian Redfield.
Who is Zulena passing?
Zulena and Sadie are Irene’s servants/housekeepers at her home in New York City. They answer the door and phones and help Irene with cooking, party preparation, and cleaning. Fred Martin is Gertrude’s white husband and a butcher in Chicago.
Why is Irene jealous of Clare?
However, while Irene consciously attributes this jealousy to her protectiveness over Brian, plenty of evidence suggests that Irene may be jealous because of her desire for Clare rather than her love for Brian .
Why does Brian want to move to Brazil in passing?
When Brian desires to leave for Brazil, Irene is anxious due to the fact that New York is still a white society , and is a familiar to her as an African-American middle-class woman. Clare’s presence in Irene’s life is a threat to this security. It makes Irene sense the insecurity of her marriage with her husband, Brian.
Why does Irene push Clare?
Irene definitely has a motive to kill Clare , but so does John Bellew, who is very racist and who has not realized until that moment that his wife is African American. Clare might also have thrown herself out of the window in desperation, as she knows that her life, as she has lived it, is now over.
What is the meaning of passing by Nella Larsen?
Throughout the novel, there are many instances in which the word “passing” is relevantly used or its definition is alluded to. It’s other meaning in the literal sense is Clare’s death that comes at the end of the novel, when Irene pushes her out of the window in a panicking and jealous rage . ...
Is Brian Redfield black?
Brian Redfield – Brian is Irene’s darker-skinned, African-American husband , who “can’t exactly pass.” Brian is a respected physician.
Who is the protagonist in passing?
Irene Redfield Character Analysis. Irene Redfield is Clare’s childhood acquaintance, Brian’s wife, and the protagonist of Passing. The book’s narrative is told in third person from Irene’s perspective.
What is the moral of the novel Passing?
Passing is a novel highly concerned with the reality of uncertainty, specifically in terms of identity . With the understanding that identity shapes experience, Nella Larsen creates a narrative in which characters are forced by society to choose their experience.
Why does Irene go to the Drayton Hotel?
It’s so hot that Irene witnesses a man lose consciousness in the street. Fanning herself, Irene realizes she’s also about to faint. She waves down a taxi so she can sit. The taxi driver, assuming Irene is white, offers to drive her to the Drayton hotel so she can refresh herself with iced tea.
What happened to Clare in passing?
The ending of Nella Laren’s Passing is famous for its ambiguity and obscurity; the death of Clare Kendry is never clear defined and vaguely stated. Despite this deliberate equivocation on the author’s part, there is definitive evidence hidden within the text that Clare’s death is in fact a homicide .
What kind of person is Clare Kendry?
She is a beautiful, charming, wealthy woman who, although born to a black father in a black community, lives in public as a white woman. Clare has light skin, blond hair, and dark eyes. Clare describes herself as someone who will do anything to get what she wants.
Is Brian Redfield white?
Unlike his wife, Brian’s skin is dark and he cannot pass as white . ... Brian, though initially wary of Clare, grows to like her.
