Race Theory And Sociological Perspectives In Nella Larsen's Passing

of a fractured identity, the third is anonymous letters symbolizing homoerotic attraction, and finally, an ambiguous death. This outline is fully present in the novel. Growing up with a white father and later two white aunts, Clare receives that belated learning of her race. She is not the typical black woman because she did not grow up necessarily thinking she was. She dosen’t display the same loyalty to blackness as Irene does because she never found comfort in it growing up. That might be one of the reasons why it was so startlingly easy for her to pass over. Throughout the novel, she displays signs of double consciousness. She’s is hyperaware of how others might perceive her. That is why she is such an expert on navigating conversation.

She marries a racist man and creates a social and domestic life as his wife but she constantly seeks the company of other African Americans. However, this still troubles her, as we can see when she tells Irene she does not feel safe. Then, there is the letter writing. In the novel it is a kind of seduction by Clare to Irene. Every time Irene thinks Clare might be out of her life, she receives a letter from her urging them to meet. Irene has mixed feelings about the letters but there is no doubt that her desire is palpable because she keeps returning to Clare, even when she says she is done with her. Lastly and most obviously, is Clare’s death. As mentioned before, is left purposefully ambiguous. Ramon’s list creates a structure not just to better understand passing narratives but the phenomenon of passing in and of itself.
The complexities of race in the United States and their relationship with gender and class are imperative to understanding the systems by which our country operates.

This topic engages race theory and historical and sociological perspectives. The theme of race in Passing is important on a few levels. First, it’s a deeply personal story. As seen in George Hutchinson’s article, “Nella Larsen and the Veil of Race”, Passing mirrors many aspects of Larsen’s life and shows her specific experiences and confrontations with race. Hutchinson argues that the trauma of being rejected by her white family led Larsen to have a “critical perspective on American racial ideologies, both black and white” (Hutchinson). Secondly, the novel focuses specifically on black middle class culture in the 1920s. It was written by an “insider” of this marginalized group and it sheds light it. By writing about African Americans as part of the middle class, and not solely slaves or people living in poverty, Larsen shows the multifaceted reality of the “black experience.” Lastly, the questions about race brought up by the novel are relevant to broader societal issues. By comprehending how race is created and understood, the audience can begin to dismantle oppressive systems in their own

lives.