Tag Archives: #passing

Textual Ambiguity and Racial Identity in Nella Larsens, “Passing”

Leave a reply

Nella Larsen’s novel, Passing, revolves around the lives of two biracial women who predominantly construct their identities through performance, enabling them to pass as White. Larsen’s narrative implies that racial, gender, and sexual identities are not solely inherent but also heavily reliant on performance. The novel delves into the exploration of these identities in a world where passing is feasible, challenging the fundamental nature of these concepts and their intersections. It raises questions about how identity influences individuals’ experiences and how individuals, in turn, shape their identities.

Irene places significant emphasis on the notion of “uplifting the race” and actively acknowledges and explores her Black identity. However, in doing so, she overlooks the fact that her identity is inherently a mix of Black and White due to societal pressure that forces her to choose and perform within specific racial labels. Conversely, Irene criticizes Clare for opting to pass as White and enjoy the privileges associated with that identity in America. At the same time, Irene inconsistently engages with her own Black identity, selectively embracing it when it aligns with her needs or desires. Clare’s obsession with passing as a white woman devolves into a desperate longing for Irene’s carefully sustained Black identity. When it comes to expressing their racial identities, Clare and Irene are on opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. Unfortunately, these acts unintentionally promote the socially imposed assumption that biracial people must choose one part of their history to perform instead of embracing and expressing their biracial identity.

However, the assumption that multiracial people are born with conflicted or contradictory identities is fundamentally flawed. There is no logical reason to believe that such identities are fundamentally adversarial. By requiring multiracial people to choose a single racial identity to perform, society compels them to ignore an important component of their identity. As a result, they are frequently alienated from both racial communities, as their multiracial identity is often rejected or devalued by American culture.

“She was caught between two allegiances, different, yet the same. Herself. Her race. Race!The thing that bound and suffocated her. Whatever steps she took, or if she took none at all, something would be crushed. A person, or the race. Clare, herself, or the race.”

Larsons sentence structure is quite deliberate here and you can see the textual ambiguity by physically separating herself and her race at the beginning of the passage, Larson implies a separation between the two concepts as well. She later uses herself and the race in the same sentence but by adding Clare into the mix, Larson suggests that Claire is both separate from Irene’s race and represents 1/2 of Irene’s identity which is an adjuring identity crisis for Irene. The real doubleness Larson describes in the novel is the double Jeopardy implicit in being a black female and a white male hegemonic society, as the term passing is broad, and can refer to any form of pretense or disguise, that results in a loss or surrender of, or a failure to satisfy a desire for identity or sexual.

In the video below, a quote that caught my attention was at 3:24 when the elderly man states, “There will come a time where whites won’t accept you and negroes won’t accept you, I said I’ll wait it out”. This further shows the identity crisis once can face like Irene and Clare  who are on the opposite sides of this spectrum. This video also shows a family who honors and respects their racial identity that was passed on to them and there is no confusion for them which is a contrast from Irene and Clare.

Types of Passing in Nelle Larsen’s Novel

7 Replies

Passing is the process of assuming an identity other than the one society has assigned and can apply to race, gender or sexuality. In the novel, Clare and Irene engage in passing by presenting themselves as white in order to gain privileges and advantages that would have been denied to them as African-Americans during that time. The motivation behind passing often stems from the desire to avoid racist discrimination and violence, making it an appealing option.

“Irene Redfield wished, for the first time in her life, that she had not been born a Negro. For the first time she suffered and rebelled because she was unable to disregard the burden of race.” (Larsen, page 181)

In my blog post, I would like to explore the various forms of passing depicted in the novel, extending beyond racial passing. Clare and Irene are not only passing as members of a different race but also as straight individuals. Throughout the narrative, Irene makes observations about Clare’s mannerisms, physical appearance, body language, speech, and actions, often expressing conflicting emotions. This complex mix of emotions that Irene experiences towards Clare can be confusing. At times, Irene seems unable to tolerate Clare, feeling annoyed or angry, while other moments reveal her concern and worry for her friend. Despite any negative feelings, it is evident that Irene invests a significant amount of time contemplating Clare and their relationship.

” …For I am lonely, so lonely…cannot help longing to be with you again, as I have never longed for anything before; and I have wanted many things in my life…” (Larsen, page 8)

“At that moment it seemed a dreadful thing to think of never seeing Clare Kendry again. Standing there under the appeal, the caress, of her eyes, Irene had the desire, the hope, that this parting wouldn’t be the last.” (Larsen, page 47)

The last type of passing is death. At the end of the story when Clare’s husband finds out the truth about her race. She is standing by an open window and the next second she falls out the window. Everyone in the room was distraught by the death. Irene is the only way that stays behind as everyone runs downstairs to see Clare, she wonders if she in fact did push Clare. No one thinks that it was Irene’s fault yet the feeling of guilt never goes away.  The ending also seems to fulfill the premonitions that Irene has experienced since Clare first reappeared in her life. As the novel makes clear, Clare constantly took risks in the pursuit of her desires, it is even possible that she deliberately fell out of the window in the hope that her luck would hold a little longer and that she would escape the terrible situation in which she found herself.

Connecting Racial Passing to Today:

Passing can now be seen as controversial in the 21st century because it is seen as rejection of blackness and cultural roots. Racial passing may not be as prevalent as in the past but it continues to be a relevant and thought-provoking topic. It opens discussions about identity, privilege, authenticity, colorism and societal perceptions.

-Colorism: Passing often involves presenting oneself as having lighter skin or conforming to Eurocentric beauty standards. This highlights the ongoing impact of colorism in society and the privileges associated with lighter skin tones.

-Racial Identity and Passing: Irene’s character embodies the struggles and complexities faced by many biracial individuals during the time. By choosing to embrace her Black identity, she highlights the importance of racial pride and community solidarity. Irene is suspicious of Clare’s decision to “pass” as White, as it challenges its authenticity and raises questions about the motivations and consequences of such actions.

The video I have attached is an example of what people go through to this day who pass for an identity that is not theirs:

What It Means To Have Two Identities: An Exploration Of Double-Consciousness In Nella Larsen’s Passing

5 Replies

W. E. B. Du Bois introduces double consciousness to address the struggle of African Americans to have an identity. Double consciousness explores how African Americans see themselves and how white people realize them, which leads them to have two different identities. In “Strivings of the Negro People”,  Du Bois writes, “It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One feels his two-ness, — an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.”

Du Bois, W. E. B. “Strivings of the Negro People.” The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 1897, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1897/08/strivings-of-the-negro-people/305446/.

In Nella Larsen’s Passing, the protagonist Irene is affected by this double consciousness. The fact that she passes as white for convenience reinforces her double identity. Her experiences as a “white” woman and as a black woman are utterly different. The one drop-rule contributed to the identity crisis that many African Americans experienced. This law did not allow mixed-race individuals to identify as mixed. If they had Black ancestry, they were automatically considered Black. In part, the oppressive society dominated by white people was what forced light skin African Americans to pass as white. 

When it comes to Irene, she identifies as Black and is genuinely engaged with the Black community. Even though she identifies as Black, when she is by herself passing as white, she is perceived as “An Italian, a Spaniard, a Mexican, or a gypsy. Never, when she was alone, had they even remotely seemed to suspect that she was a Negro” (Larsen 17). It is evident that she is trying to remain faithful to the Black community but at the same time passing as white is her escape from her normalcy and an opportunity to be an “American” with privileges and not just a “Negro.”

Irene does not only try to stay true to her black culture. At the same time, she is looking at herself “through the eyes of others,” as Du Bois says. She is mostly living up to societal expectations and building a perfectly structured life. Irene’s lifestyle brings us back to the “Cult of true womanhood.” While her husband is in charge of the outside work and being the provider of the family, Irene focuses on taking care of the household and doing charity work. She somewhat accepts white patriarchal capitalist ideas that make women inside the house more feminine than those who are outside working. When she is with the Black community she looks really open-minded, but when she is at home she wants to be the perfect wife and mother and wants her family to do the “right” thing. Her behavior shows a contrast between what she considers herself to be: a Black woman, and how she sees herself “through the eyes of others.” On one side she is proud of her blackness and on the other side, she acts in accordance with the “cult of true womanhood” which is a white standard for women. 

Though Irene clearly has a put-together life in the eyes of others, her interiority reveals her internal battles concerning her race. “She was caught between two allegiances, different, yet the same. Herself. Her race. Race! The thing that bound and suffocated her.” “Irene Redfield wished, for the first time in her life, that she had not been born a Negro. For the first time she suffered and rebelled because she was unable to disregard the burden of race. It was, she cried silently, enough to suffer as a woman, an individual, on one’s account, without having to suffer for the race as well” ( Larsen 101). Irene cannot live freely because she has to protect her family and her middle-class status. On top of that, she feels the need to protect her race as well. Irene wants to be free from the “burden of the race.” Nonetheless, she puts aside her desires and prioritizes her family and the Black community. This allows her to have security in her life but at the same time, she struggles with her identity.

Passing offers us a taste of what it means to be a person of color stuck between two identities. This does not only affect the way one sees themself but also the way one sees others. It is a never-ending battle to belong. 

https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/604306/amber/

This video is an animation that explores the double consciousness that people of color experience. It is also an animation of the article mentioned above “Strivings of the Negro People.”