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.Most critics agree thatQuicksand is one of the best novels of the Harlem Renaissance.Response to Larsen s second novel, Passing, has been less favorable.From one perspective, critics argue that Passing fails to exploit fully thedrama of racial passing and declines instead into a treatment of sexualjealousy.If, from another perspective, the novel is the best treatment of itssubject in Afro-American literature then the topic of blacks passing for whiteis dated and trivial.8 In Larsen s novel, however, passing does not refer onlyto the sociological phenomenon of blacks crossing the color line.Itrepresents instead both the loss of racial identity and the denial of selfrequired of women who conform to restrictive gender roles.Like quicksand, passing is a metaphor of death and desperation, and bothcentral metaphors are supported by images of asphyxiation, suffocation, andclaustrophobia.Unlike quicksand, passing provokes definite associationsand expectations that Larsen is finally unable to transcend.Looking beyondthese associations, one sees that Passing explores the same themes as itspredecessor.Though less fully developed than Helga Crane, the maincharacters of this novel likewise demonstrate the price black women pay fortheir acquiescence and, ultimately, the high cost of rebellion.Two characters, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, dominate the novel:Both are attractive, affluent, and able to pass. Irene identifies with blacks,choosing to pass only for occasional convenience, while Clare has movedcompletely into the white world.Each assumes a role Helga Crane rejects:Irene is the perfect lady, and Clare, the exotic Other.A chance meeting in thetearoom of an exclusive Chicago hotel, on an occasion when both women are passing, introduces the action of the novel.Clare recognizes the childhoodfriend she has not seen in twelve years, and she is eager to renew theacquaintance.Irene, assured and complacent in her life as the wife of aHarlem physician, is more cautious.Reluctantly, she accepts Clare sinvitation to tea, where they are joined by another school friend, Gertrude,who is married to a white man, and by Clare s husband Jack Bellew.Bellewproves to be a rabid racist, and Irene vows never to see Clare again.Twoyears later, her resolve is shaken.While visiting New York, and partly in 216Cheryl A.Wallresponse to her husband s bigotry, Clare longs for the company of blacks.Shepresents herself at Irene s home uninvited and, over Irene s objections, makesincreasingly frequent jaunts to Harlem.Distressed by the unsettling effectproduced by Clare s presence, Irene begins to suspect that Clare is having anaffair with Dr.Red-field.But before Irene can act on her suspicions, Bellewfollows Clare to Harlem and confirms his.Clare Kendry falls through asixth-story window to her death.Although her death is typical of the tragic mulatto s fate, the ClareKendry character breaks the mold in every other respect.9 Her motives for passing are ambiguous.Though she seeks the freedom to define herself,she also wants the material comforts the white world offers.As she explains, .I was determined to get away, to be a person and not a charity or aproblem, or even a daughter of the indiscreet Ham.Then, too, I wantedthings.I knew I wasn t bad-looking and that I could pass (56).The psychicrewards are few, but at first Clare is sure the money is worth its price.Bellewis an international banking agent, apparently as rich as Croesus, whoindulges his wife s love of luxury.Clare can chat glibly of travels to pre-WarParis and post-War Budapest.She can also refer to herself as a deserter, yet Irene looks in vain for traces of pain, fear, or grief on her countenance.Even when Clare begins to doubt the wisdom of her choice, she claims nonoble purpose, merely loneliness and a vague yearning for my ownpeople. In fact, her trips to Harlem involve more pleasure-seeking thanhomecoming [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Most critics agree thatQuicksand is one of the best novels of the Harlem Renaissance.Response to Larsen s second novel, Passing, has been less favorable.From one perspective, critics argue that Passing fails to exploit fully thedrama of racial passing and declines instead into a treatment of sexualjealousy.If, from another perspective, the novel is the best treatment of itssubject in Afro-American literature then the topic of blacks passing for whiteis dated and trivial.8 In Larsen s novel, however, passing does not refer onlyto the sociological phenomenon of blacks crossing the color line.Itrepresents instead both the loss of racial identity and the denial of selfrequired of women who conform to restrictive gender roles.Like quicksand, passing is a metaphor of death and desperation, and bothcentral metaphors are supported by images of asphyxiation, suffocation, andclaustrophobia.Unlike quicksand, passing provokes definite associationsand expectations that Larsen is finally unable to transcend.Looking beyondthese associations, one sees that Passing explores the same themes as itspredecessor.Though less fully developed than Helga Crane, the maincharacters of this novel likewise demonstrate the price black women pay fortheir acquiescence and, ultimately, the high cost of rebellion.Two characters, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, dominate the novel:Both are attractive, affluent, and able to pass. Irene identifies with blacks,choosing to pass only for occasional convenience, while Clare has movedcompletely into the white world.Each assumes a role Helga Crane rejects:Irene is the perfect lady, and Clare, the exotic Other.A chance meeting in thetearoom of an exclusive Chicago hotel, on an occasion when both women are passing, introduces the action of the novel.Clare recognizes the childhoodfriend she has not seen in twelve years, and she is eager to renew theacquaintance.Irene, assured and complacent in her life as the wife of aHarlem physician, is more cautious.Reluctantly, she accepts Clare sinvitation to tea, where they are joined by another school friend, Gertrude,who is married to a white man, and by Clare s husband Jack Bellew.Bellewproves to be a rabid racist, and Irene vows never to see Clare again.Twoyears later, her resolve is shaken.While visiting New York, and partly in 216Cheryl A.Wallresponse to her husband s bigotry, Clare longs for the company of blacks.Shepresents herself at Irene s home uninvited and, over Irene s objections, makesincreasingly frequent jaunts to Harlem.Distressed by the unsettling effectproduced by Clare s presence, Irene begins to suspect that Clare is having anaffair with Dr.Red-field.But before Irene can act on her suspicions, Bellewfollows Clare to Harlem and confirms his.Clare Kendry falls through asixth-story window to her death.Although her death is typical of the tragic mulatto s fate, the ClareKendry character breaks the mold in every other respect.9 Her motives for passing are ambiguous.Though she seeks the freedom to define herself,she also wants the material comforts the white world offers.As she explains, .I was determined to get away, to be a person and not a charity or aproblem, or even a daughter of the indiscreet Ham.Then, too, I wantedthings.I knew I wasn t bad-looking and that I could pass (56).The psychicrewards are few, but at first Clare is sure the money is worth its price.Bellewis an international banking agent, apparently as rich as Croesus, whoindulges his wife s love of luxury.Clare can chat glibly of travels to pre-WarParis and post-War Budapest.She can also refer to herself as a deserter, yet Irene looks in vain for traces of pain, fear, or grief on her countenance.Even when Clare begins to doubt the wisdom of her choice, she claims nonoble purpose, merely loneliness and a vague yearning for my ownpeople. In fact, her trips to Harlem involve more pleasure-seeking thanhomecoming [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]