Passing, Entry One

One of the most striking parts of this weekend's reading, in my opinion, was found on page 75 of "Passing." Nella Larsen writes of Irene Redfield, "...mingled with her disbelief and resentment was another feeling, a question. Why hadn't she spoken that day? Why, in the face of Bellew's ignorant hate and aversion, she had concealed her own origin? Why had she allowed him to make his assertions and express his misconceptions undisputed? Why, simply because of Clare Kendry, who had exposed her to such torment, had she failed to take up the defence of the race to which she belonged?"

Obviously, the majority of Larsen's novel can be compared to "Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man" because the two pieces have such similar subjects and present so many of the same questions to the reader. I found myself agreeing with many of the questions that Irene Redfield asked herself, and also thinking that they were questions the Narrator might have asked himself. I do realize that Irene was a black woman passing for a white woman, and therefore had virtually no "right," at this point historically, to voice her feelings regardless of the situation. However, her justifications for not speaking out against the blatantly racist John Bellew all seem to revolve around concerns for causing discomfort or inappropriateness in the home of her so-called "friend," Clare Kendry. However, shortly after leaving Clare's home, Irene refocuses herself and comes to the realization that she never wants Clare in her life again, and that it was a mistake to let herself to to Clare's house in the first place. Clearly, their relationship is strained and, at least by the end of the section we were assigned to read, it is clear that Irene has very little interest in pursuing a friendship with Clare. Why then, is she afraid to speak out in Clare's home? If she simply revealed herself as being an individual "passing," she wouldn't necessarily need to reveal that Clare was doing the same. I imagine that if she did this, Mr. Bellew would be so disgusted that Irene wouldn't be allowed in his household anymore, eliminating Irene's challenge of maintaining a friendship with his wife. That is all theoretical, of course, but I think it would have saved Irene future irritations with Clare.

However... as we briefly mentioned in class, there appears to be some sort of underlying homosexual tones in this novel, which is perhaps a reason why Irene cannot completely let go of Clare. Even in the footnotes, Irene's observation that she felt "...something else for which should could find no name," this sentiment is connected to Oscar Wilde's homosexual relationship with Lord Douglas. Perhaps this is why Irene wants to say goodbye, but has a subconscious need to stay connected to Clare?

In general, there seem to be a lot of unanswered questions, and we're already more than halfway into the novel. Hopefully, discussions in class this week can help us start to piece together why Irene is afraid to defend her own race, and if and how she feels a connection to Clare Kendry.