The Complexity of Struggle, Research Paper Example

In the literary world, a literary work can be appreciated in various ways. Sometimes it is praised for the reader’s esthetic delight. On other occasions, there are the complex and sophisticated combination of literary devices that reflect unique ideas and transfer them to the audience through diverse images and twists of the plot. On the other hand, there are also such literary works that intrigue their readers and leave the critics wording what exactly was intended by the author. Such deeply metaphorical literary works can be interpreted in various contexts creating a systematic and complex reflection of the reality. A novel “Passing” by Nella Larsen is one of such metaphorical works. The aim of this paper is to outline novel’s interpretation and value.

On the first glance, it may seem that the two main protagonists of the novel Irene and Clare are different in their perception of the phenomenon of “passing.” Clare has embraced the life of the White upper-class bourgeoisie, while Irene remained loyal to her Afro-American roots and stayed in Harlem. In this regard, it can be argued that both women has chosen the most suitable path for each of them and embraced one side of the duality of their ethno-cultural origin that suited their personalities the most. In other words, Clare expressed conformity with the White society and its prescribed norms of behavior for a married woman, while Irene followed the path of an activist for Afro-American rights, mother and wife of an Afro-American family in Harlem (Brody 1060). Thus, they both seem to accept two different parts of their dual situation to achieve security at least in one of the world rather than being torn apart between two and not belong any of them. It may seem that the two women were on different sides of the argument. On the other hand, their actions across the entire novel demonstrate something different between the two women.

Irrespective of making the initial choice in favor of security within a single world, both women rejected the other part of their identity, and they could pretend not to see only when they were apart. When they met again, they could see in each other the parts they denied in themselves. In other words, by seeing the opposites of each other’s life in the different worlds, the inner struggle for embracing one’s dual and complex identity was further enflamed (Blackmer 58). Thus, the inner struggle for taking risks and doing something to express one’s complex identity was stimulated by seeing what one woman had and another lacked. Since Irene is the one who conducts the narration, the inner struggle in her case is more vivid through her envy to Clare and Irene’s desire to be like her to embrace her White identity as a missing part of hers:

“She [Clare] belongs in this land of rising towers. She is American… [race] thing

that binds and suffocates her enough to suffer as a woman and an individual, on one’s

own account, without having to suffer for the race as well. It is a brutality, and

undeserved. Surely, no other people so cursed as Ham’s dark children” (Larsen 201).

In this passage, the author showed Irene’s desire to embrace the duality of her identity irrespective of the class, race and sex restraints. She wanted to be free of those singular restrictions of one freedom (Duran 137). While Irene has an opportunity to express her version of the events since she is the narrator and her envy for Clare is not escapable from the manner of her writing and her actions, Clare’s inner struggle is shown mainly through her actions. Irrespective of being successfully accepted in the White community and having the stability of single identity, Clare struggled to achieve completeness of her identity (Brody 1057).

In this regard, she wanted to be close to Irene as a missing part of her own complex identity: Clare got involved in various activities with the Afro-American communities, attended Irene’s house and simply enjoyed small pleasures of freedom. Unlike Irene, Clare was not the one who carved to achieve “passing” or to make it more essential. In her self-identity struggle, she endangers everything she had in order to be herself to the fullest extent. She lost her husband, position in the society and even her own life, but she managed to find herself and remain herself irrespective of racial and class differentiations (Tate 189). On the other hand, Irene in her reluctance to accept her envy for Clare and her deep desire to be White as well resulted in her inability to embrace both parts of her identity since she is afraid to lose the identity that was stable and safe for her. Thus, Clare’s very existence was an abnormality and a threat to Irene’s stability which lacked integrity:

“In Passing, Irene consistently aligns herself with conservative and bourgeois

elements in American society and views her friend Clare as an “exotic other.” She

persistently fights to preserve her “security” and the status quo. “Fixity,” and

“stasis,” and above all “security” are her watchdogs” (Brody1055).

Thus, the author demonstrates the complexity of two women’s struggle in finding their complex identity irrespective of class, race, and sexuality. While Clare embodies the type of personality that was ready to give up everything to find herself, Irene was the one not being able to accept whom she was and ask for more than what was given to her by the White bourgeoisie of the American society. Iren was afraid of the substantial changes since she could lose what she had at that stage. That is why she both envied and desired to be Clare – to be able to accept her complex identity freely without any thoughts of consequences or regrets (Duran 135). Regarding the sexual   dimension of the struggle, it is definitely present in the novel. In this regard, the notion of interracial taboo on freely expressing one’s sexuality is shown:

“Larsen’s novel…subtly delineates the interracial sexual attraction of Irene Redcliff

for Clare, while the former projects her taboo desires for Clare onto her husband

Brian, Ironically, Brian Redcliff, who the text implies might be homosexual, evinces

no sexual interests in women, but Irene nonetheless begins to suspect that Brian and

Clare are conducting an illicit, clandestine affair” (Blackmer 52).

In the sexual dimension just as in the case of race and class, both women are struggling to find their sexuality and the way to express it. On the other hand, unlike in the case of race and class, their perceptions of dual sexuality are more passive and suppressed since it would be even more outrageous after overcoming race and class struggle to announce to have sexual desires for the same sex person (Brody 1059). In this regard, the degree of uncertainty is much higher than in the case of race and class. While for Clare to accept the presence of certain sexual feelings for Iren results in her attention to her husband, for Irene her sexual desires for Clare only strengthen her envy for Clare’s personality, success in the White bourgeois class and the ability to sacrifice everything in order to remain herself (Tate 188). In this regard, the fact that Irene’s struggle was more suppressed by her inner fears and desire for stability resulted in her love/hate attitude to Clare as an embodiment of her ideal in terms of class, race and sexuality (Duran 142).

In terms of identifying winners and losers of the struggle for self-identification, strangely but the most likely winner would be Clare. In this regard, unlike Irene, she was more honest with herself, and although she lost everything in terms of family happiness, social status and a single racial belonging, she managed to gain her identity fully. On the other hand, Irene could not embrace herself the way she was and, at the end of the novel; she remained wondering about her identity and the place of belonging (Brody 1056). Although there was no Clare to remind Irene about what she wanted to be and whom she desired, her struggle did not end there. The only difference was that Irene had to carry on that struggle on her own without Clare being there to blame for everything (Tate 186). Thus, although Clare died, she managed to make peace with herself before her death, and she won the struggle, while Irene only managed to survive but not embrace life fully.

In terms of the conclusion of the story and Clare’s death, it is not studying from the point of a happy ending, but it is satisfying from the perspective of one’s struggle for self-identification, Clare managed to become herself entirely. Even if to think that she was killed by Irene, the fact that she allowed Irene to get hold of her life and possess her in that way suggest her acceptance of her sexuality just as dual identity. Regarding Irene, the conclusion is also satisfying since if she was the one who killed Clare, she deserved to carry on her struggle on her own. In other words, she would be doomed for regret till the end of her life.

Overall, it can be argued that every aspect of the novel created a systematic reflection of a struggle of passing in terms of race, class and sexuality. It was well shown on the example of the two female protagonists. Through the difference of their approaches to struggle and consequent actions, the two women demonstrated different sides of the struggle for one’s self-determination and how fear of losing stability and security of one’s positions prevents people from asking for more and fighting for that.  While Irene seemed to be more aggressive in her fight for Afro-American rights, she was more afraid of changing her security. On the other hand, Clare demonstrated to be more courageous and truthful in self-determination. For this reason, Clare is a winner in the self-determination struggle, while Irene is survival who denied her self-determination.

Works Cited

Blackmer, C. “The Veils of the Law: Race and Sexuality in Nella Larsen’s Passing” College Literature, 22.3(1995): 50-67. Print.

Brody, J. “Clare Kendry’s “True” Colors: Race and Class Conflict in Nella Larsen’s Passing”

Callaloo, 15.4 (1992): 1053-1065. Print.

Duran, M. Passing Novels in the Harlem Renaissance: An Alternative Concept of African American Identity. New York, NY: Lit Verlag. 2003. Print.

Larsen, N. Passing. New York, NY: Martino Fine Books. 2011. Print.

Tate, C. “Nella Larsen’s Passing: A Problem of Interpretation,” Black American Literature Forum 14 (1980): 180-246. Print.