Nella Larsen's Passing

Words: 757
Pages: 4
Open Document
Nella Larsen's "Passing" shows different stories of women who are passing. Passing is when a person is classified as a member of one racial group and that is also accepted as a member of a different racial group. In Nella Larsen's "Passing" Clare Kendry is a African American woman passing as white. She has been hiding her true identity from her racist husband and the rest of her family and her friends expect for Irene Redfield and Gertrude Martin. Clare also makes it very clear that she is giving up on her past and is trying to make things "right" for her daughter. Clare's secret comes out and there are major consequences.

Clare Kendry the daughter of a janitor and a black mother who died when she was small. At the time of her father's …show more content…
She knew how low her morals and would have done whatever she wanted at any cost. Clare never has any intention of being loyal to one race or the other. She is only concerned with her self. Clare would lie, cheat, and steal if it made her happy. She has been doing so for more than half her life. "Irene passed a hand over her eyes to shut out the accusing face in the glass before her with one corner of her mind she wondered how long she had looked like that, drawn and haggard and- yes frightened. Or was it only imagination?"(Pg.85). Clare has not been looking like herself because she's been stressed about wanting to tell Jack the truth. By the end of the novel all has come to light and Clare finally get her chance to possibly tell jack the truth, but this moment is stolen from her."One moment Clare had been there, a vital glowing thing, like a flame of red and gold. The next she was gone"(pg.91). Clare Kendry died that night. She had not suffered ever for her deceptive actions until her untimely death.

In Nella Larsen's Passing Clare Kendry is a African American woman passing as white. She has been hiding her true identity from her racist husband and the rest of her family and her friends except for Irene Redfield and Gertrude Martin. Clare also makes it very clear that she is giving up on her past and is trying to make things "right" for her daughter. Clare's secret comes out and there are major consequences. Nella Larsen put this in her book because it shows the challenges that people had when they were
Show More

Related Documents: Nella Larsen's Passing

An Analysis Of Nella Larsen's Passing

The opposition argues that passing is not justified because people who had passed as white do not have a happy life because most of their history ends in tragedies. As in the case of Clare Kendry in the novel Passing by Nella Larsen, Clare pass as White and lived and unhappy and lonely life. Clare married a racist but wealthy White me. In part one of the novel Clare suggested to her husband John Bellew that she has a percentage of black and John Bellew’s reaction was totally racist against it, he…

Words 692 - Pages 3

Identity And Acceptance In Nella Larsen's Passing

If we were to simply take the term or the word 'passing' and attempt to define it we may first find ourselves thinking of a person's death or the mere act of time itself passing. But within the context of Nella Larsen's novel 'Passing' the term refers to the success and acceptance of a person with black heritage who appears white into the white community. Now, this definition of 'passing' eludes the idea of one disguising themselves, or rather assuming a different identity and heritage to the one…

Words 1381 - Pages 6

Passing Nella Larsen Analysis

Passing The term “passing” is characterized by an individual who pretends to be of another cultural group (I.e of another race, religion, gender or sexuality) in order to either gain a higher standing in society or survive in it. Nella Larsen’s novel entitled “Passing”, is a story about the struggle of being mixed race in 1920’s. Throughout the novel Larsen’s titular characters, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, are constantly struggling to live in between black and white culture because they are…

Words 599 - Pages 3

Quicksand And Passing By Nella Larsen Summary

was set in Harlem, an area in New York City which was created to celebrate African American literature and art. There were a lot of famous authors, poets, and editors during the Harlem renaissance including Nella Larsen a well known novelist of two books, Quicksand and Passing. To commence, Nella Larsen was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 13 1891, Larsen was the daughter of a Danish mother and West Indian father. Her father died when she was only two years old, after, her mother married a Danish…

Words 508 - Pages 3

Essay about Black People and Conditions Decoding Essentialism

Decoding Essentialism: Cultural Authenticity and the Black Bourgeoisie in Nella Larsen's Passing Author(s): Candice M. Jenkins Source: MELUS, Vol. 30, No. 3, Personal and Political (Fall, 2005), pp. 129-154 Published by: Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30029776 Accessed: 01-08-2015 15:35 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions…

Words 9559 - Pages 39

Essay On Irene's Internal Struggle Against Clare And Passing

Irene’s Internal Struggle Against Clare and Passing In her ingenious novel, Passing, Nella Larsen challenges the concept of racial integrity through her two female characters, Irene and Clare. Both women are familiar with the act of passing, however they differ in how they utilize it. Irene identifies as black and places her safety over the opportunity to utilize her light skinned privilege whereas Clare’s desire to exploit the benefits of passing as white overcomes her need for security. Because…

Words 590 - Pages 3

Justice In Stanley Milgram's Passing

To demonstrate, in Passing, when Irene considers how Clare talked her into coming along to the N.W.L. dance, she considers that “Clare, it seemed, still retained her ability to secure the thing that she wanted in the face of any opposition, and in utter disregard of the convenience…

Words 1995 - Pages 8