Clare’s death in Nella Larsen’s Passing is one of the most tragic and devastating moments in the novel. Clare was a beautiful and talented young woman who had her whole life ahead of her. But she made the mistake of falling in love with a man who could not give her what she needed. As a result, she ended up taking her own life.
Passing is a novel about two women, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, who are both light-skinned African Americans passing as white. The story focuses on their friendship and how it is tested when Clare begins to pass more and more into white society.
Irene is conflicted because she wants to maintain her friendship with Clare, but she also doesn’t want to be associated with her actions. Ultimately, Clare’s actions lead to her untimely death, which leaves Irene feeling guilty and responsible. Passing is a novel about race, identity, and friendship, and how those things can be complicated and difficult to navigate.The death of Clare at the end of Nella Larsen’s Passing, on the other hand, was unclear to me. It was presumably due to Irene pushing her out of the window that Clare died at the conclusion of Nella Larsen’s Passing.
The death of Clare is significant because it symbolizes the passing of the old ways and the emergence of the new. Clare represented the old way of thinking, where people were divided into separate categories based on race. Irene, on the other hand, represents the new way of thinking, where race is not as important.
The death of Clare also signifies the end of Irene’s old life and the beginning of her new life. Irene has been living a lie up until this point, pretending to be something she’s not. After Clare’s death, Irene is finally able to start fresh and be herself.
I wonder if Irenne killed Clare on purpose, but I just feel as if it was Irene who did it. The way Larsen phrases the self-esteem devastation that Irene suffers once Clare has re-entered her life and the situations in which she finds herself as a result of Clare are both examples of this.
Clare’s death could be seen as Irene’s way of regaining control over her life and asserting herself. Clare was a symbol of what Irene wanted in life, and by killing her, Irene may have felt that she was finally able to move on and achieve what she wanted for herself.
Larsen also does an excellent job of foreshadowing Clare’s death throughout the novel. For example, when Clare tells Irene that “passing” is a “deadly sin,” it takes on a whole new meaning once Clare is dead. Passing is no longer just something that Clare does; it becomes something that has led to her death. Additionally, when Irene dreams about chasing after Clare and then waking up to find her gone, it foreshadows the way she will actually lose Clare in real life.
The death of Clare is a turning point in Irene’s life; it is a tragedy that leads her to reassess her own priorities and decide what she wants for herself. Passing is no longer just an act; it becomes a symbol of all that Irene has lost.
Passing, Nella Larsen’s novella deals with the 1920s, a time when African-American people were prominent in both society and culture. Despite the fact that black individuals enjoyed a great deal of power during this era, there was nevertheless resistance to accepting one’s racial background in order to achieve success. In the story, an interest in the unknown is linked to a concern about sexual orientation.
This is seen when Clare Kendry, a black woman who “passes” for white, becomes consumed by her desire to be with a white man. Her Passing leads to her death because she is unable to fully commit to either world.
Larsen’s Passing is important in understanding the conversation of race and identity because it allows readers to see how a person can exist in two different worlds but only feel comfortable in one. Clare’s story is a tragedy because she is not able to find a balance between the two identities. She is forced to choose one over the other and in the end, it leads to her demise.
Clare represents danger, and Irene is sexually drawn to her. Clare’s attraction to Irene, on the other hand, is more motivated by a desire for the life she desires. Throughout the narrative, Irene struggles with her attraction to danger; as a result, she comes to realize that only by physically pushing away Clare can she be safe and successful.
Clare is a character who, in Nella Larsen’s Passing, dies by Irene’s hand. Clare is introduced as a woman who is light-skinned enough to “pass” for white. Passing allows Clare the opportunity to move through society without the restrictions that are placed on black people. Clare takes advantage of her ability to pass and uses it to get what she wants in life. She marries a wealthy white man and has a successful career as an actress.
Irene, on the other hand, is a black woman who cannot pass for white. She is aware of the limitations that this places on her and resents Clare for having the ability to move through society without those restrictions. Irene is also married, but her husband is black and they are not as financially successful as Clare and her husband.
Irene’s resentment of Clare comes to a head when the two women meet again after several years. Clare makes it clear that she is interested in rekindling their relationship and Irene finds herself torn between her attraction to Clare and the risk that being with her represents. Irene ultimately decides that the only way to be safe and secure is to push Clare away, which leads to Clare’s death.
In Passing, the notion of a sexual attraction between Clare and Irene is an undercurrent that drives several of the women’s behaviors throughout the novella. There is an undertone of sexual attraction in Irene’s description of Clare’s appearance. At certain points in the novella, it appears as though Irene is attempting to fight her feelings for Clare.
After Clare’s death, it is clear that Irene is struggling with her feelings and she even tries to pass as white in order to forget about Clare.
In the end, Irene realizes that she cannot deny her feelings for Clare and she decides to live her life as a black woman. Passing becomes a way for Irene to come to terms with her attraction to Clare and to finally mourn her death.