Facades and the Like

After finishing Nella Larsen's Passing, I found the book fit nicely into the modernist idea of the identity search. In this particular instance, skin color acts as the determining factor with regards to how the characters see themselves.

The similarities between Irene and Clara intrigued me. Both characters base a great deal of their worldview (yes, I said it) on how their world perceives skin color. True, Irene embraces her African-American identity much more than Clara, but the issue of race plays an equally important part for each of them when it comes to their every day lives. For the sake of space, I'm only going to look at Irene for this post.

Irene is a bit of a paradox though. On the one hand, she criticizes Clara (albeit silently) for "passing" as a white woman as if that act usurps the entire African-American heritage. However, despite all of Irene's sourness at this aspect of Clara's behavior, Irene allows Clara to get away with it. Why? Some might say it's because Irene is a genuinely compassionate person who tries not to let the negative aspects of her personality control her. I say it's more complicated than that. Irene feels a certain bond to Clara if for no other reason than both of them can "pass" and both of them share an African-American heritage. Given the hostile environment in the United States towards blacks at that time, it is no wonder that Irene resists the urge to out Clara. Irene feels a certain bond with all of her race; her desire to defend that supersedes her desire to expose Clara. When Irene begins to suspect Clara of having an affair with Brian, complications ensue. We can assume that Irene's behavior in front of Clara's white husband in the street tipped him off as to Clara's real identity. But there, jealousy motivated Irene; she threw the concept of racial unity/identity out the proverbial window (unintentional, morbid pun there). Granted, we never know for certain if Irene killed Clara at that moment, but technically, we could argue that had Irene not acted the way she did when she encountered Clara's husband on the street, Clara never would have fallen to her death.

One could discuss the identity issues presented in this novel for quite a while (like, in an American Modernism class for example). Irene's inability to come to grips with her identity leads inevitably to tragedy. Irene struggles between her racial identity and her personal identity (which are intertwined) thus causing a maelstrom of confusion, jealousy, and regret.