Passing by Nella Larsen

An Analysis of Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry

Written March, 2020

Passing, a novel by Nella Larsen, explores Irene Redfield’s relationship with race and identity through her relationship with a woman named Clare Kendry. The two women go about a decade without seeing each other before meeting by chance at a restaurant once they’re both adults, which sparks a complicated relationship between the two women. Irene’s unease comes from the differences in their lives and their relationships with identity. Irene and Clare are both of mixed race, and both can “pass” as something other than black. Irene, on one hand, never intentionally hides her blackness, even if she benefits from her own racial ambiguity. Clare, on the other hand, intentionally presents herself as white, to the point where her husband doesn’t know anything about her heritage. An excerpt from Passing highlights Irene’s contemplation on whether or not she should reveal information to Clare’s husband that would in turn, remove Clare from Irene’s life.

Clare’s deceitfulness causes problems when Clare’s husband reveals extremely racist beliefs, all without knowing he was speaking to women of color. Offended by his statements, Irene feels tremendous pressure to defend her race, to tell him the truth about who he married, but she also knows that doing so would betray Clare’s trust. Irene feels “caught between two allegiances, different, yet the same. Herself. Her race.” (Larsen). Irene feels a sense of responsibility both as a black woman but also as Clare’s friend, even if she denies her friendship with Clare entirely. And while Irene doesn’t want to reveal that secret, she does want to tell him that Clare has been lying about where she’s been going, which would remove Clare from her life with relatively minimal damage. Irene may claim to want to remove Clare from her life under the pretense of defending her race, Irene benefits from being able to pass almost as much as Clare does, and if she truly felt nothing for Clare than she would’ve already revealed Clare’s dishonesty.

Irene’s hesitation is perfectly encapsulated in the question: “Why spare Clare?” (Larsen). When Irene and Clare first reconnect, the words Irene uses to describe Clare, words like “tempting” and “magnificent” and mesmeric”, are those one would use to describe a romantic interest. This especially true when compared to the rather mundane description of Irene’s husband, and the lack of chemistry present between them. If Clare was a man, there would be no question of the romantic subtext between the two characters, and the fact that Clare is a woman likely adds to the confusion Irene feels about their relationship. This confusion both makes Irene’s decision easier and more complicated, as her feelings for Clare cause her to hesitate while also fueling her desire to remove Clare from her life entirely.

In this passage, Irene’s complicated relationship with Clare Kendry is highlighted through her struggle to decide on whether or not she wants to remove Clare from her life. Despite Irene’s continuous claims that she wants to be rid of Clare entirely, the simple fact that she hasn’t already proves the situation is far more complicated than she wants to believe.

Works Cited

Larsen, Nella. “Part Three; Chapter Two.” Passing, Vigo Books, 2012.