...As the readers know, Nella Larsen’s Passing took an abrupt ending. It left the audience in an array and struggling to figure out the “5-W’s”. Who pushed Clare or who let her jump? What lead to the peak of this tragedy? Did this happen when Irene blacked out? How did this happen? However, obvious reasons reveal the why of this tragedy. From my interpretation and evaluation, I have come to the conclusion that Irene pushed Clare out of the window. Irene despised that Clare was successful in passing, had such a dominating influence on her, and Irene believed she committed adultery with her husband. All of which gives motive for Irene to murder Clare. Clare was determined to have a progressive life as a white woman. She was the definition of a successful Negro who thrived through passing. Unlike Irene, Clare was married to a white man and disguised herself as white their entire marriage. She was able to pass as white with and without her husband. As for Irene, she married a Negro man, and was not fortunate to experience passing with her husband. Irene also had black sons, and had to live with the constant fact that her children would endure discrimination because of their skin color. Not only was Irene jealous of Clare’s...
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...A person's sense of identity is crucial in their well-being, shaping their behavior and their overall content state of life. Nella Larsen’s Passing clearly depicts the main character, Irene’s, struggle with her identity. Thereby, Irene continually allows Clare Kendry, a girl from her past, to affect her, despite the several occasions when Irene claimed she was finished with Clare Kendry. Irene Redfield relies on Clare Kendry to maintain her sense of her own identity because she used Clare as a foundation. If Clare Kendry no longer continues to pass as a white woman, she will be just like Irene, potentially causing her to lose everything important to her. These important factors include her family and her social status. Further proving, Irene Redfield is an incredibly unstable character, for her own sense of sanity, she needs Clare Kendry to continue to pass to help her maintain her own sense of identity. Before Clare and Irene reunite at the Drayton, they had a civil relationship during their childhoods before Clare drifted apart from her old community after her father’s passing. After lunch, Clare becomes desperate to see Irene again and continues to assert her presence in not only Irene’s life, but her family, and her social life. Clare’s authors a letter to Irene at the beginning of the novel, shortly after their...
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...Answer - Chosen by Voters Nella Larsen's second novel Passing on the other hand concentrates on the issue of skin color. As we can see from our own experiences, everyone is not the same shade. Many people of color were affected by this both dark- and light-skinned especially during Nella Larsen's era. While the light-skinned black people were dominating the black establishments, the dark-skinned black people were feeling rejection from their own kind. Passing addresses this issue through the character of Clare Kendry who was also an atrractive light skin fine haired women who manages to escape poverty by passing for being a white women. She marries a wealthy white man who also believes that she is white as well. Her journey across the color line is completely sucessful until she reunites with her old friend Irene. Irene Redfield is married to an attractive and sucessful black physician who Clare finds herself attracted to and he to her, so Clare decides to pursue him. Irene was aware of Clare's threat to her marriage and arranges for Clare's disappearence. Clare falls to her death from an open window just before her husband is about to confront her with his discovery of her black roots. Passing can be related more to Nella Larsen's actual life; she was also a light-skinned women who dominated the black intellectual etablishments and because of her color could have and may have at some points in her life passed for a white woman. I don't think Nella Larsen wanted to cease being black...
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...You Ken Tan Christopher Hennessy LI 208 U.S. Multicultural Literature 26 Feb 2013 Passing: An Analysis and Close reading Nella Larsen’s Passing is a story about the tragedy of an African American woman, Clare Kendry, who tried to “pass” in the white American community. However, while she passes as white, she constantly seeks comfort from her friend Irene Redfield who is a representation of the African American community. Gradually, Clare has become the double image of Irene, due to the similarities of their ethnicity and the contrasting lives they lead. At the end of the story, Clare’s death is a result of the extreme burden on Irene’s shoulder due to the presence of Clare in her life. The death of Clare is very much Irene’s responsibility based upon her suspicious acts at the end of the story. The ending of Passing, and of the life of Clare Kendry, begins on the sixth floor of an apartment complex at a party in the home of Felise and Dave Freeland. During the party, Irene says that, “It seems dreadfully warm in here. Mind if I open this window?” (Larsen 110) However, when Irene opens the window, “It had stopped snowing some two or three hours back” (Larsen 110). This means that the weather is still rather cold and despite the freezing temperature, Irene still sits beside the window. Another reason why Irene would want to open the window is because she wants to smoke her cigar. She politely uses the warm temperature in the room as her excuse to open the window. Although...
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...critical theory today critical theory today A Us e r - F r i e n d l y G u i d e S E C O N D E D I T I O N L O I S T Y S O N New York London Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Routledge Taylor & Francis Group 270 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group 2 Park Square Milton Park, Abingdon Oxon OX14 4RN © 2006 by Lois Tyson Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business Printed in the United States of America on acid‑free paper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 International Standard Book Number‑10: 0‑415‑97410‑0 (Softcover) 0‑415‑97409‑7 (Hardcover) International Standard Book Number‑13: 978‑0‑415‑97410‑3 (Softcover) 978‑0‑415‑97409‑7 (Hardcover) No part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data Tyson, Lois, 1950‑ Critical theory today : a user‑friendly guide / Lois Tyson.‑‑ 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0‑415‑97409‑7 (hb) ‑‑ ISBN 0‑415‑97410‑0 (pb) 1. Criticism...
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