Brina's Reviews > Passing

For the first time, I am participating in a women's century challenge in the group catching up on classics. My 1920s selection is Passing by Nella Larsen, a semi-autobiographical novella, in which a young, mixed race woman light enough to pass decides to live her adult life as white. Delving into the perception of race from a myriad of perspectives, Larsen takes her readers back to a bygone era when African Americans were beginning to make inroads in northern society.

Irene Redfield and her husband Brian are members of W.E.B. DuBois' mythical talented tenth of Negro society. Even though Irene is light enough to pass for white in some circles, Brian is not, and the couple makes Harlem their home. Brian foresaw the danger of raising African American children in an integrated society and has urged Irene to immigrate to Brazil, where race is less of an issue. Yet, Irene is an American, and she is a well sought member of Harlem social circles, so the family stays in New York. A chance encounter with an old acquaintance, however, has Irene questioning her views on race for the first time.

Clare Kendry is light enough to pass for white, so she marries an upper crust banker and alternates her life between Europe and New York. Even after twelve years, Kendry omits the fact that she is black to her white supremacist husband, and after meeting Irene, decides that she wants to be a part of Harlem society instead of white America. Yet, Redfield is reluctant to admit Kendry to her inner circle as she experiences an internal emotional conflict. As a result, she questions her own views on race relations for the first time in her marriage, even wondering if her husband had been right about moving to Brazil. In the duration of the novel, the reader sees Irene's, Clare's, and both their husbands view on race, allowing insight into the country's feelings toward integration during the 1920s.

Larsen herself was light enough to pass and married white in order to better herself in society. As a white woman, she was able to publish Passing, Quicksand, and one other little read novel, but after the truth about her race came out, she was denied publication of her other works; additionally, her marriage ended in a bitter divorce. The migration of African Americans to northern cities had only begun in this era, and Larsen's opportunities were limited. She lived the rest of her life employed as a nurse in a Harlem hospital, living as a negro rather than white.

I found Passing to be a powerful piece of literature as the reader delves into many characters' conflicted emotions as they tackle the race question. Even though there might have been more opportunities as a white person during the 1920s, the talented tenth in Harlem brought their own culture to the American melting pot. Because of the personal nature of the novel, Nella Larsen offers in depth characters in her story. A candid look at the race question, Passing is a gem from 1920s literature, and a worthy entry in a century of reading women, for which I rate 4.5 stars.