Passing Nella Larsen\'s Novel Passing

Passing

Nella Larsen's novel Passing details the story of a difficult friendship between Irene and Clare. The two women unite after many years, and learn how their lives have changed since they were young girls. Although they still love each other, their different attitudes, ideals, and beliefs begin to sully their friendship. Larsen highlights the differences between Irene and Clare. Those differences are partly related to personality, but also to social and political issues. Passing is as much about the nature of friendship as it is about race, class, gender, and power.

Issues related to race, class, gender, and power are explored throughout the novel. In fact, the issue of race is one that most affects the relationship between Irene and Clare. This is because race is shown to be essential to one's personal identity. Race defines who a person marries, who they associate with socially, and in many cases also a person's career. Irene identifies strongly with being an African-American woman. Her life in Harlem consists of being politically active in support of the black community. For her, being black is a source of pride but she also understands the social stigma against racial minorities. It is possible that through Irene, Larsen shows how non-whites in America have developed an unhealthy inferiority complex.

Because she is half black, Clare can and does "pass" in the world of whites. Clare does not wish to be viewed as a woman of color. She was in fact raised as a white girl, and so identifies with being white rather than with being black. She even marries a bigoted man who might never have dated her if he knew the truth about her racial identity. By passing as white, Clare capitalizes on white privileges and social power. Irene knows this and resents it.

The title of Larsen's novel refers in part to Clare's "passing" as white, demonstrating the character's distorted racial identity. Clare betrays her racial heritage, but she does so because she was raised to understand the power of being white in America. By passing as white, Clare has been able to float in and out of various social worlds and as a result has gained status and power. In contrast, Irene has dedicated her life to helping eliminate the mindset that would cause someone to want to "pass" as white. Irene's racial consciousness is a part of who she is, and her character is defined by her racial pride.

The novel's title also refers to Clare's passing away at the end of the novel. Her death is somewhat mysterious, but it seems as though Irene pushed her friend out of the window. Irene may have killed Clare because she felt threatened by her. Clare raised fears related to her sexual identity and also to her racial identity.

Irene also does not view her gender as being a potential source of power. Unlike Clare, Irene does not seem to draw power from her sexuality. Her marriage is sexless, and Irene seems to be sexually repressed. On the other hand, Clare is conscious of her sexual power, and the power of her beautiful body. Irene finds Clare extremely attractive and is threatened by her feelings. Even if Irene were conscious of being sexually attracted to Clare it is unlikely that the two would have developed a romantic relationship because they both identify with being heterosexual. In some ways, Irene has "passed" as being straight.