Nella Larsen's Passing

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Recommended: Problems with racism in literature

The act of choosing race has been a question lingering in the minds of people for the last century. Many men and women choose to identify, or pass as a race that is not really their own. Race is a very broad term, one that people identify themselves with, or one used to describe ethnic background. Although some people may see it fit to choose their race depending on the situation, race cannot be chosen. This paper will show with examples from Nella Larsen’s Passing that race cannot be chosen, no matter how hard one may try to perceive themselves as another race. Through the story of Irene and Clare, both women use passing as white to their advantage as well as disadvantage. Their storylines interlink with the fact that one cannot choose their …show more content…

Clare uses it to her advantage to marry a rich white man and has a mixed daughter as a result. After a while though, Clare has had enough of her white passing and decides to come back to her original race. Clare’s decisions do not bode well for her though, as her husband discovers her true racial identity. This discovery proves deadly for Clare, as she falls out of a window when he confront her. (Larsen 79). Clare’s decision to pass affected her entire life, not just her story arc with Irene. Her coming back to her roots after passing for so long shows that race cannot be chosen. Clare never felt white, she only used it for personal gain. Her real race called back to her, and made her miss her real heritage. “It was hard to believe that even Clare Kendry would permit this ridiculing of her race by an outsider”(Larsen 28). Even Irene is surprised to see her husband allow her race to be ridiculed, hinting that Clare most definitely identifies with her real …show more content…

In this excerpt, the central character Mimi has a self realization and no longer wants to pass as white. Mimi has been passing as white up until the musical which she attends with her husband who is actually white. (White 260). The musical brings such strong feelings to Mimi that she begins to have visions about Africa, enslavement, and cotton picking. (White 261). It even brings tears to her eyes as she has the visions while watching the performance. Mimi then realizes that she knew who she was all along, an African American. From that moment onward, she no longer wanted to pass as white. Mimi knew in her heart that she was truly black, thus proving once again that choosing race is a fallacy. Mimi decides not to tell her husband of her true race after deliberating it. (White 262) This correlates with Clare also choosing to not tell her husband. Mimi and Clare can be viewed as very similar. Both miss their real culture and used passing for financial gain. They both eventually decide to return to their real roots. This essentially proves to themselves as well as others that that are not white. This further supports the statement that one cannot choose their

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