65 pages • 2 hours read
Nella LarsenPassing
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1929A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Themes
Passing
The act of “passing” takes center stage in Larsen’s novel. Passing is the process of assuming an identity other than the one society has assigned and can apply to race, gender or sexuality. Larsen’s novel is concerned with the politics and psychology of racial passing in twentieth century America. In the novel, African-Americans like Clare Kendry and, to a lesser extent, Irene Redfield, pass as white to obtain the benefits denied to African-Americans. Irene reminds Hugh Wentworth during a dance that it is harder for whites to pass as black. Furthermore, there are more compelling reasons for black people to pass, such as escaping the racist discrimination and violence prevalent in America at that time. Because of their complexion, Clare, Irene and Gertrude their pale complexions mean they are considered white, with people often mistaking them for Italian or Latina. In other words, they are accepted by white society based on their physical appearance, and receive the benefits and respect afforded to white people.
For many, passing is an act of betrayal. For example, Clare marries an overtly racist white man who expresses his hatred for African-Americans whenever he can. Ironically, he has no clue that he is married to a black woman or that his daughter is a “Negro.” John Bellew simply believes that his wife has “darker” white skin. As Irene points out, Clare cares nothing for others or for “uplifting” the Negro race. Her decisions to pass for white and to marry a man like Bellew are borne out of her determination to get what she wants out of life, no matter the consequences. Clare, like Gertrude Martin, another of Irene’s acquaintances who passes for white, wonders why more women who can pass do not take advantage of what she calls “the easiest thing in the world” to do.
Irene passes for white occasionally, though it is more to obtain favors or benefits that would otherwise be denied to her. For instance, she meets Clare for the first time when she goes to a café for tea as she feels that she might pass out. If she was recognized as black, she would not be allowed in the café where she is seated among white society. She does not think there is anything wrong with passing in moments like this; at the same time, she is terrified that, when Clare sees her, she has been found out and will be ridiculed—or worse—for trying to be white. Though Irene could pass permanently, like Clare, she is more concerned with fighting for the rights of African-Americans.
The novel highlights just how complex the act of passing really is. For Clare, it is a way of obtaining a particular type of life, and she views it as the simplest thing in the world. Passing as Clare has done brings danger, and complicates the lives of everyone involved. Irene wonders how Clare can just abandon her people, her family and friends to pretend to be white. Is it just for material gain? Likewise, how can a person like Clare or Gertrude look down on other African-Americans, especially those darker than them? The novel’s focus on these psychological dimensions of passing highlights the way that many African-Americans have internalized racist values and aspire to be white. Others, like Irene, struggle to undo these stereotypes and celebrate black beauty, art and culture.
The act of passing, as Larsen’s novel makes clear, disrupts the idea of fixed racial identities by showing that a person is white if they are accepted as white by society. There is no fundamental difference between white people and black people; race is an arbitrary marker imbued with social meaning. These socially constructed identities, and the differences between them, are then used as a strategy for maintaining power and privilege by one group at the expense of others. At the same time, the kind of discrimination faced by African-Americans has forged a sense of community and it is this community that Clare is thought to betray by passing for white. In accepting the privileges attendant on whiteness, Clare might also be seen to accept and uphold the racial hierarchy, even as her ability to pass undermines the logic of that social structure.
Isolation
Though much of the novel’s action takes the form of conversations, or takes place at social events, isolation is a significant theme that affects most of the characters in one way or another. Larsen’s novel shows that both feeling lonely and being alone can take place even amongst married couples and the “closest” of friends. Brian Redfield, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry are three examples of how isolation affects the individual, despite their ties to a larger social unit/group.
Brian Redfield, though a gifted doctor, detests his line of work and only took up the profession at Irene’s insistence. Brian also dislikes his work because he dislikes sick people. Moreover, he is fed up with the constant violence that African-Americans in the U.S. face. As a result, Brian wants to take his family to Brazil, to get away from America’s racism and start a new, better life in a new country. Brian’s desire to leave America also highlights how isolated he feels in his own country. The fact that Irene refuses to listen or consider his desires—either in his choice of work or choice of home—exacerbates his feelings of isolation from her. Though infidelity is inexcusable, Brain’s isolation leads him to have an affair with another of the novel’s isolated characters, Clare Kendry.
Clare has embraced the role of white woman in every facet of her life. She is married to a white man who is overtly racist and no one in her new life knows that she is African-American. Clare’s secret also means that she is isolated in her well-to-do life. Neither her husband nor her daughter knows her true background. Moreover, though Clare abandoned her identity as a black woman to obtain the privileges of whiteness, she is drawn toward friends from her old life, and begins to seek out moments of connection with them, despite the potentially devastating consequences if her secret is discovered. As such, Clare’s loneliness and isolation are the catalysts for her eventual death later in the novel. The complex emotions involved in passing might also account for Clare’s affair with Brian. As Irene notes to Hugh Wentworth, many of the white people who socialize in Harlem do so out of a terrible fascination with black people, whom they consider grotesque. Is Clare’s affair with Brian motivated by a similar fascination? Or is she attempting to ease her loneliness with a black man, someone who understands where she comes from and does not judge her for choosing to pass?
Irene Redfield is also a victim of isolation. Though she has a family and an active social life, she finds herself isolated from her family, partly because she is so determined to control their lives. This desire for control on her part closes off the potential for intimacy with her friends and family. This might explain, in part her ambivalent friendship with Clare, who seeks risk rather than control. Through her relationship with Clare, Irene can experience, vicariously, what it means to give up all control and responsibility. This is part of the charm that Clare holds for Irene, whose own self-effacing nature leaves her feeling unappreciated and resentful, no more so than when she discovers that Clare is having an affair with her husband. Irene’s resentment finds expression in her desire to reveal Clare’s secret to John Bellew but whether her desire for revenge is ever satisfied—did she push Clare?—remains unclear.
Allegiance
Allegiance takes various forms throughout the novel. Irene Redfield’s allegiance lies with the African-American community and the project of “uplifting the race”. The discourse of “uplifting” played a significant part in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, at the time Nella Larsen was writing. Uplifting had at its core the promotion of African-American culture and self esteem as a way of challenging the ubiquitous racism of twentieth century America. Irene’s dances and tea socials are all meant to empower black people and provide a social outlet for friends.
Irene’s commitment to the project of uplifting the race makes it difficult for her to understand the attitudes expressed by Clare Kendry or Gertrude Martin, who prefer to pass as white. For instance, Gertrude comments that no one wants a dark-skinned child, suggesting that she has internalized white ideals of beauty, in which pale skin is beautiful and dark skin—black skin—is not. Clare, on the other hand, seems to have allegiance only to herself, rather than to white people or black people. It is mentioned several times in the novel that Clare is incapable of caring for others or for the fate of African-Americans.
Irene’s refusal to move to Brazil can also be read in terms of allegiance. While Brian’s allegiance is to his family’s wellbeing, which he thinks will be better served in Brazil than in America, Irene is more concerned with defending her community and eradicating racism in her own society. The tension between their respective allegiances might account, in part for Brian’s affair with Clare Kendry. Significantly, it is the connection and experiences she shares with Clare, as a black woman, that prevents Irene from betraying her friend as her friend betrayed her.
Racism
Though Passing addresses a specific dimension of African-American experience—passing for white—its subject matter is inextricably tied to the larger issue of racism in twentieth century America. Irene and her friends are engaged in uplifting work in 1920s Harlem, a time of creative engagement for the African-American community. However, these achievements do not take away from what the country is faced with. The kind of racist violence African-Americans must contend with is highlighted by Brian, when he comments on a lynching in the newspaper. Irene’s reaction is to stop him from talking about the violence in front of the children. Brian, however, would prefer for his children to understand the true nature of their society.
The act of passing was brought about due to racism, which is an irony that Irene herself notes in the novel. Because of the stigma of dark skin, African-Americans with “acceptable” skin tones pretend to be white, thereby accessing the privileges of whiteness. For Irene, however, a person like Clare is a contradiction in terms. Though she is African-American, Clare marries a racist white man who expresses his offensive views whenever he can. The fact that Clare puts up with her husband’s blatant racism angers Irene. Even Gertrude, whose white husband knows and accepts that she is African-American, highlights the complexities of racism when she speaks of her fear of having another child, explaining that no one wants a dark child. Gertrude is also taken aback to learn that Irene has married Brian, who is dark-skinned, and that one of Irene’s children is “dark” as well. As such, Passing highlights how racist values can be internalized.
