Intro to Lit Blog

Passing Parts Two and Three

When I finished Part One, I could safely say that I liked Irene Redfield. She seemed a little hypocritical, although her way of passing was not as bad as Clare’s. While Irene liked to “pass” in public places, she wasn’t ashamed of being black in her personal life as becomes evident in Part Two when we learn she cares a lot for her family and is in charge of the NWL dance. Irene is polite and loyal and I didn’t find it surprising that she didn’t confront John about his comments in out of respect for her friend. My opinion of her got progressively worse as the book went on and by the end I found Irene to be a jealous, paranoid, and selfish person.

Part Two is sprinkled with little hints that Irene is perhaps not quite the person we thought we knew. The first evidence of this comes from her own head as she thinks about a fight with Brian. On page 217 you see Irene resenting her husband for thoughts she imagines him thinking. She feels guilty about keeping her family in New York and turns that into a fear of her husband and children resenting her for it. These thoughts are from Irene’s mind and we, as readers, are offered no proof or examples of these thoughts. This pattern continues through the rest of the book and we have to either accept what Irene is telling us, or realize that her point of view might be skewed. When Clare reappears in Part Two she starts to become likable because you see her trying to reconnect with her heritage. Irene becomes extremely jealous of Clare and even begins to despise her beauty, which she used to admire. At the dance, Clare is seen dancing and talking to many people, black and white alike. This is what makes Irene the most jealous. We are never told this directly, but the fact that Clare can “pass” or easily and so well greatly upsets Irene. While she may have close ties with her African heritage, she longs for the simplicity that passing as white would bring her.

In Part Three Clare and Irene become friends and we are immediately exposed to Irene’s unreliable narrative. Seemingly out of nowhere, she assumes Clare and Brian are having an affair. She has no proof other than her husband is nicer to Clare, but she doesn’t hesitate in making her assumption. As her resentment for Clare builds, she eventually runs into John Bellew and entertains the thought of telling him about Clare. She decides not to, but she almost regrets letting John get away without knowing the truth. At the party at the end of Part Three, Irene is upset the entire night and is convinced of her husband’s affair. When John arrives to confront Clare, Irene decides she “couldn’t have her free” and pushes her out the window. We are never told directly of her actions, but the fact that she doesn’t remember and the guilt she feels when descending the stairs suggests that she pushed Clare.

Irene’s life before Clare was perfect for her. She could pass as white when she wanted to and at the same time was able to keep close to her African heritage through her family. When Clare entered her life, she became so jealous of her lifestyle that Irene was driven to a state somewhat like insanity. She resented Clare’s life so much that she convinced herself that Clare was having an affair. Clare’s murder was a surprising but fulfilling ending that shows just how far someone go when they are jealous.

posted by rcunning @ 4:57 PM