Michael Rowley Passing

In Nella Larsen’s Novel “Passing” She writes the story telling of the relationship Between

Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield. As the title implies much of their conversations, thoughts and

actions revolve around the idea of Passing, where a black individual acts and dresses so as to fit in

white community. From the beginning of the book we read of Irene’s visit to the Drayton. Where

Irene feared she was noticed as being a negro and would be kicked out from the Drayton.

(Larsen,150) As the scene progresses we learn that the Woman who was watching was Clare who

would begin a conversation with Irene Discussing each other’s lives. During their Conversation

Irene is curious and wanting to ask Clare about Passing of how one would pull it off with the

“hazardous business” of denying one’s family and race and explaining their background without

being found out. (Larsen,157)

This fact that passing is a Hazardous business will continue throughout the story. When

describing having her daughter, Clare shares that she was afraid it would be born dark showing

her ancestry. Gertrude another friend, who could pass as white, also married a white man and

would also share her fear of her children showing as black. (Larsen,168) This danger is especially

made prevalent by the fact that Clares Husband has such a strong distaste to Negros. (Larsen,171)

Irene’s statement she gives following the encounter with Clare’s husband during her time with

Clare and Gertrude truly sticks out “Risky! I should say it was. Risky! My God! What a world!

And the Mess she’s liable to get herself into!” (Larsen,175) The entire section revolving this

encounter is important because of that statement. Gertrude is married to a white man who knows

she’s black. Irene is Married to a black man who knows she is black, while Clare is married to a

white man who jokes of her being black yet absolutely despises Negros. This is important because

Gertrude faces no danger from her being black because there is no secret about it her husband and
their family have come to accept “Her condition” while Clare must deal with the dangers of when

that secret is discovered because no secret that large will be hidden forever.(Larsen,175) This

showing of that danger helps to show that we shouldn’t deny who our heritage is or even deny who

we are just so that we can fit into another society we need to be true to who we are as the true

danger isn’t in the lie but the fact that you deny and hide who you truly are.

This idea gets revealed at the end by how Clare’s husband reacts to the News of Clare being

a Negro. Bargaining into the room of the party screaming in pain and anger at the Fact she lied

about it. (Larsen,238) Had Clare been truthful about her heritage she would have avoided the

situation with her husband that potentially Led to her death. Returning to what Irene said the Mess

that Clare was liable to get into. (Larsen, 175)

In her conversation with her Husband Brian we receive another major insight into the idea

of passing. Irene shares how while at the same time disapproving of passing it is also condoned by

negros. Or given another way it is discouraged yet seen as forgivable by their society. Brian

explains it off as the “instinct of the race to survive and expand”. This revelation plays out to show

how despite people not believing in denying ones race they see the need to survive as equally

important. (Larsen,186)

A major reason revealed by Larsen as to why individuals try to pass is to escape into a

society where they can receive greater benefits. Its important to remember that at this time Blacks

are often seen as inferior to white and excluded from many of the benefits in society. This includes

locations like the Drayton, but also things like toys and other things. Its important to look back to

the beginning when Irene was looking for things for her sons. She was able to acquire a mechanical

Airplane but had trouble on finding a simple drawing book for her son who she thought about as

always seeking something that he couldn’t have just like his father. (Larsen,148) Its important that
she uses these examples because drawing books would be something easy to acquire while a

mechanical airplane would probably something much harder to find and most likely only in nicer

stores, most likely white only, since they were a newer toy coming to exist at this time in the late

1920s. This helps to develop how Irene uses passing to try and get nicer things. She even describes

later how she does it only for convenience for restaurants, theatres tickets, and etcc… (Larsen,

227) It also helps show how she is worried that her son will try to do something that he would be

less likely to succeed. At this time blacks are still seen as unable to produce and succeed in the art

business at the same lever as that of whites. Even those this has begun to change as is shown by

the dance where whites come to see blacks its still harder for a black artist to succeed. (Larsen,198)

We learn from context in the book that Irene has two sons and she says One of them is

dark. (Larsen, 168) This fact is important because she always argues with her husband over what

her boys can or cannot know or do. (Larsen, 188,231) In each argument, the first about junior’s

education in school as well as sex, to the one with Ted and learning about lynching, Irene tries to

have the topics pushed off and discussed later but Brian argues that they need to learn now not

later. One huge problem occurring at this time in society is the Racial Inferiority given to blacks.

It was something that they had to come to accept form whites. Brian sees his sons learning sooner

is better than being protected as they need to know what they will face. (Larsen, 232) If someone

is going to face the hardships of society it is better to know from a younger age then older as there

is still time to adapt and come to face a dangerous situation. Clare’s daughter Margery provides an

important example to this. Irene shares how twelve is to old to learn such a secret, that she is part

black, and that nothing would ever be the same for Margery upon learning about it. (Larsen, 197)

Though we don’t know her fate in the story the fact is she will be devastated by the loss of one

parent, from Clare’s passing into society. As well as now be frowned upon by the other because
of that ancestry. (Larsen, 171) This shows that When one person brakes their society the

consequences don’t apply just to them but their close relations and children especially as well.

To understand this, we look at John bellows comment when he was introduced he discusses

how Blacks are “always robbing and killing people. And he added darkly, Worse” (Larsen,172)

The Worse that John Refers to is that of passing. This context is revealed by How Irene reacts

thinking of him being surrounded by three black people. (Larsen, 172) But his statement is

important because it reflects a common idea in that day of white superiority. It also adds to the

dangers already discussed when someone escapes the established rules.

As described earlier a major thing that is shown throughout Passing is how you can not

escape your heritage of who you are. Trying to do so only leads to trouble. Clare is the major

example of this. From the Beginning we learn that she received instruction from her Aunts not to

reveal her colored ancestry. (Larsen,159) When she meets her husband John bellow she describes

how that hiding helped her to be able to marry him. (Larsen,159) as we Go on we also learn that

she had come to a point where she absolutely wanted nothing to do with her colored heritage. But

following meeting Irene that all changed. She reaches the point where she describes that she can

no longer bare not knowing Negroes again that she wants to return. (Larsen,200) This is important

because the story of Clare truly shows the idea of being unable to escapes one’s heritage. From the

moment Clare met Irene she began to regain an awareness of who she was this awareness would

lead her to do more and more dangerous thing that could potentially harm her way of life. For the

desire to attend the Negro dance to consenting trying to evade her husband. This works to show

that people can tyr to avoid who they are but that doing so will only cause inner turmoil. If you

really want to find peace you need to come to accept who you are and not reject it. This is Shown

how Clare at the end had a high level of composure even a faint smile on her face. (Larsen,239)
all of it shows that in accepting who she was Clare had found a true peace and would be able to

face the troubles that come against her. Why does this relate to the idea of passing Larsen is

showing? We look at Irene who knew and accepted herself as being black yet through ought the

story passes for the luxuries she can get. Yet in doing so she still has the attitude of condemning

Clare for the same thing. In the End where Clare ends at peace we see Irene in utter turmoil. Clare

who came to fully accept who she was found peace. Where Irene who still fought in some way

against it did not find peace. Its especially seen in the point where Irene truly wishes she had never

been born black. (Larsen,225)

Works Cited
Larsen, Nella. Quicksand and Passing. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press,
2015.