Stellan Ogilvie Matt Lindsey Div2 AH 3/1/2024 Gender and Race in Nella Larsons Passing Lense: Feminism/Sexuality Amid the aftermath of World War 1 and under the shadow of segregation and Jim Crow era laws, the Harlem Renaissance stands out as a strong and defiant cultural movement of African American art, culture, and response to societal racism. Empowered by the freedom the war gave to Black soldiers, literature like Alain Locke's “The New Negro,” fueled the younger generation of Black musicians, activists, and writers like Nella Larson. Well known for her literary contributions during the Harlem Renaissance, Larson earned her place as one of the era's most impactful authors with her second groundbreaking book, "Passing.” Throughout the book, …show more content…
Her protagonists, two biracial childhood friends, Irene Hadfield, and Clare Kendry, each produce contrasting experiences about what it means to be a Black woman who can “Pass” as white due to their light skin, and the experience of living in such a brutally racist and sexist society. In the short novel, "Passing," Nella Larsen depicts the intersection of race and gender in the 1900s, as African American women grapple with powerlessness while navigating gender roles, discrimination, and identity. In “Passing,” female characters are often portrayed as powerless when facing their racial identity and situation, serving as a strong reminder of the constant systemic problems that intersect with gender. One of our protagonists, Clare Kendry, is secretly hiding her African American heritage from her husband. What is more, she herself cares nothing for her potentially volatile situation, even though her husband often expresses a strong hatred of African Americans. Deeper into the book, he said. Irene observes, "Clare Kendry cared nothing for race, she only belonged to it," highlighting Clare's carelessness for her racial identity, and the life that she is forced to live. Right now, she is powerless and “Belongs” to her race because of the systemic racism
The Emancipation of the once enslaved African American was the first stepping stone to the America that we know of today. Emancipation did not, however automatically equate to equality, as many will read from the awe-inspiring novel Passing Strange written by the talented Martha Sandweiss. The book gives us, at first glance, a seemingly tall tale of love, deception, and social importance that color played into the lives of all Americans post-emancipation. The ambiguity that King, the protagonist, so elegantly played into his daily life is unraveled, allowing a backstage view of the very paradox that was Charles King’s life.
I think Tate’s further interpretation of Passing as a story of jealousy, intrigue, and obsession is also very accurate. There are race issues that are brought up, in instances such as Irene worrying about being discovered as a black woman while having tea in the Drayton Hotel, and the language and attitude Clare’s husband has towards black people in general. However, I believe that much of the story is rooted in class issues, also. Clare and her husband Brian are wealthy, they get to travel across Europe, and their
In the book, the readers see the wall between black and white people during the movement. An example is a reaction to Fern’s doll which is white, while Fern, however, is black. On pg.65, it reads, “‘Li’l Sis, are you a white girl or a black girl?’ Fern said, ‘I’m a colored girl.’ He didn’t like the sound of a colored girl,’ He said, ‘Black girl.’ Fern said, ‘Colored.’ ‘Black girl.”
The term "passing" is shorthand for a racial passing which means people of one race passing for another. Nella Larsen's Passing is the story about two light-skinned women, who both have African blood. Clare Kendry is one of them who chooses and succeeds at "passing" and Irene Redfield is one who doesn't. They drive into each other twelve years later in a restaurant and Clare invites Irene to the tea party. The tea party which appears in the beginning of the story plays an important role throughout of the story because Jack Bellew enters the story at that moment. Jack is the white man who has a strong revulsion to African-Americans. He marries Clare, without knowing her secret ancestry. Jack's statements at the tea party lead the main characters' transformation throughout the story and shape the ending as well.
Passing by Nella Larsen was written in 1929 during the height of the Harlem Renaissance movement. The novel focuses on shifting racial boundaries and the pressures of white-dominated society. The term "passing" carries the connotation of being accepted for something one is not. The title of the novel serves as a metaphor for a wide range of deceptive appearances and practices that incorporate sexual, gender, and racial passing. Passing could refer to sexual passing where one disguises their true sexual identity practiced by lesbians and gays in a society. This term can also be related to racial passing which is where a person classified as a member of one racial group (African American) also can be accepted due to appearance as a member of
Published in 1929, Passing by Nella Larsen is a novel that explores the lives of middle class African-Americans in the 1920s. It focuses on two childhood friends Clare and Irene who reconnect later in life to discover that Clare is married to a white man and is ‘passing’ as a white woman, whilst Irene identifies as a black woman and only ‘passes’ when she has too. Race, racism and racial passing are the key themes within Larsen’s text. The reality of racism is also revealed through character John Bellew. A white man with a mind filled with horrible misconceptions, John Bellew is constructed as a discriminatory and racially melancholic man who deems the racially ‘other’ as inferior to that of the white race.
One of the most obvious themes in both "Passing" and "Recitatiff" is prejudice, social status and the huge role that race plays in the novels. In "Recitatiff" racism is first introduced when Twyla's mom states that the people of Roberta's race "never washed their hair and smelled funny." Mary expressing that to Twyla shows how she was prejudice to the contrary race. Very similar in "Passing" Clare acts prejudice against her own race stating that white society is more superior and that more light-skin women should pass as white. It is stated that Clare lives a very luxurious life along the side of her husband that she likes to make known to most. In many occasions it is interpreted that Clare believes she's better than Irene because of her luxurious
In the novel, Passing, Nella Larsen presents two women, Clare and Irene who originate from the black community; however still yearn for an assured identity for themselves. Clare and Irene are childhood friends who even though being part black, are able to pass as white folk. Irene continues to be part of the black community and is considered a black woman, however this is on a superficial level. When it comes to her advantage, Irene occasionally passes as white. Clare on the other hand passes as a white woman; her lifestyle changed completely as to white standards and in. Although both women are in a dilemma regarding their true racial identity, they both wish to live as both black and white. Throughout the book, both women attempt to achieve an integrated identity, however fail do to so. Their failure in attempting to live a life both as black suggests and supports the idea that a person can only have one race as either black or white, not both.
In 1912, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man was anonymously published by James Weldon Johnson. It is the narrative of a light-skinned man wedged between two racial categories; the offspring of a white father and a black mother, The Ex-Colored man is visibly white but legally classified as black. Wedged between these two racial categories, the man chooses to “pass” to the white society. In Passing: When People Can’t Be Who They Are, Brooke Kroeger describes “passing” as an act when “people effectively present themselves as other than who they understand themselves to be” (Kroeger 7). The Ex-Colored Man’s choice to ultimately “pass” at the end of the novel has been the cause of controversy amongst readers. Many claim his choice to “pass” results from racial self-hatred or rejecting his race. Although this may be true, the main reason for his choice to “pass” is more intense. The narrator’s “passing” is an effort to place himself in a safe living environment, open himself up to greater opportunities and be adventurous and cynical in his success to fool the nation. It is because of his light skin that The Ex-Colored Man confidently knows the world will categorize him as white; thus cowardly disclaiming his black race without actually disclosing his decision.
Nella Larsen's Passing tells the story of the reconnection of two childhood friends whose lives take divergent paths. Through these characters Larsen weaves together a cautionary tale about the consequences of living a double life, and the harm associated with internalized racism. Through Clair and Irene, Larsen conveys to readers the consequences of desiring to live life as a bicultural individual during the early 20th century. Claire represents the archetypical character known as the tragic mulatto, as she brings tragedy to all those she encounters. Irene represents someone grappling with internalized racism; catalyzed by Claire's reentrance into her life. Larsen juxtaposes the two characters to demonstrate the inescapability of social regulations. Clare attempts to escape the social barriers placed upon African-Americans, and she does, but not without consequence. Through diction, tone, and imagery Larsen makes it luminous to readers that "passing" may seem glamorous, however, the sacrifice one makes to do so is not without consequences for themselves and those they care about.
2. The African American culture blossomed during the Harlem Renaissance, particularly in creative arts, and the most influential movement in African American literary history. Embracing literary, musical, theatrical, and visual arts, participants sought to reconceptualize “the Negro” apart from the white stereotypes that had influenced black peoples’ relationship to their heritage and to each other. They also sought to break free of Victorian moral values and bourgeois shame about aspects of their lives that might, as seen by whites, reinforce racist beliefs. Never dominated by a particular school of thought but rather characterized by intense debate, the movement laid the groundwork for all later African American literature and had an enormous
Alice Walker and Zora Neale Hurston are similar to having the same concept about black women to have a voice. Both are political, controversial, and talented experiencing negative and positive reviews in their own communities. These two influential African-American female authors describe the southern hospitality roots. Hurston was an influential writer in the Harlem Renaissance, who died from mysterious death in the sixties. Walker who is an activist and author in the early seventies confronts sexually progression in the south through the Great Depression period (Howard 200). Their theories point out feminism of encountering survival through fiction stories. As a result, Walker embraced the values of Hurston’s work that allowed a larger
The Harlem Renaissance gave African American women new opportunities in literature. “The Harlem Renaissance was the name given to the cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem between the end of World War 1 and the middle of the 1930s.” (Wormser) It was a challenge for women poets during the Harlem Renaissance because they were both black and women. (Walton) Jessie Fauset, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Regina Anderson, and Nella Larson all played important roles in the Harlem Renaissance. (Lewis) These women inspired many generations of women to come. (Walton)
The Harlem Renaissance was a period of great rebirth for African American people and according to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, the “Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s.” Wikipedia also indicates that it was also known as the “Negro Movement, named after the 1925 Anthology by Alan Locke.” Blacks from all over America and the Caribbean and flocked to Harlem, New York. Harlem became a sort of “melting pot” for Black America. Writers, artists, poets, musicians and dancers converged there spanning a renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was also one of the most important chapters in the era of African American literature. This literary period gave way to a new type of writing style. This style is known as “creative literature.” Creative literature enabled writers to express their thoughts and feelings about various issues that were of importance to African Americans. These issues include racism, gender and identity, and others that we...
It is not until Celie is an adult that she finally feels content with her life and understands her capacity to be a completely autonomous woman. The concept of racial and gender equality has expanded greatly throughout the twentieth century, both in society and in literature. These changes influence Walker's writing, allowing her to create a novel that chronicles the development of a discriminated black woman. Her main character, Celie, progresses from oppression to self-sufficiency, thereby symbolizing the racial and gender advancements our country has achieved.