Passing Nella Larsen Essay

652 Words2 Pages

Identity
Passing presents two women, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, who makes two different choices yet whose lives intertwine in startling ways. Compare the characters of each. What are each woman’s strengths? Her weakness? What is each woman’s attitude towards race? How did these attitudes influence the novel's plot?
The author of passing Nella Larsen undermines the historic conception of gender, ethnic and race where she transforms the idea of a preferred definition of identity. Larsen uses unstable characters to show how easily one can lose his sense of self. Due to her timely death, Clare does not have a chance to relate to a specific race where she ends up breaking the tragic mullato pattern. Conversely, Irene being obsessed with jealous of …show more content…

Clare is only looking for excitement where she perpetuates but also reconstructs this pattern as she does not want to regain any racial pride by not seeking out blacks. In this case, Clare is an exception. The fate of Clare is predictable though most of the things about her are not. Clare’s motive for passing is that she may acquire material wealth in the form of money and also have a social worth. She achieves this by marrying a rich man who is also racist. Clare deserts her identity but expressed no fear or grief of her acts of becoming an outsider to her race. She is also selfish and enigmatic which is evident when she says “why, to get the things I want badly enough, I’d do anything, hurt anybody, throw anything away. Really, rene, I’m not safe” (Larsen Para 148). Clare is a representation of the dramatized version of the other women. She is dependent on her husband for all materials possession, identity, and security. At the end, Clare finally passes away due to the strains of keeping up with her

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