Passing - Nella Larsen
This week, I'd like to review a novella I had to read for one of my classes. It's called Passing written by Nella Larsen. This was absolutely a novella I would not have read by choice, but since I was forced to read it 3 times this semester, I figured why not give it a review. Personally, I thought it was just okay. It wasn't as magnificent as I thought it would be, but again, it's just my opinion.
Before I was allowed to read the actual novella, I was required to read the reviews and literary criticism, so I already knew how the story ended. Knowing how the story ended definitely ruined the flow of the book for me, but I had to trudge through the disappointment and read it anyway.
Written in 1929 during the Harlem Renaissance, this is a story of Race, Sexual Tension, and Jealousy.
This is a story of two women, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry. Both women are light-skinned enough to "Pass" for white women, however, they are both actually Mulatto in race. Irene stayed true to her roots, living her life as a black woman, married to a black doctor named Brian. Clare, however, decided to marry a wealthy white man named John Bellew.
Clare sees Irene after many years, relaxing on the rooftop of the Drayton Hotel in Chicago, a place where only white folk are welcome. Irene uses the fact that she can pass for a white woman when it benefits her, but mostly she looks down her nose at others who pass for white.
Clare inserts herself into Irene's life, completely uninvited, and strikes up a relationship with Irene's husband. Irene begins to believe Clare and Brian are having an affair, and Irene becomes hateful toward Clare. She tries to conjure up a plan to oust Clare to Bellew, but she has second thoughts, thinking that could potentially work in Clare's favor if Bellew decided to terminate their marriage, giving Clare free reign to be with Brian.
Bellew, who is racist against black folk, has absolutely no idea that his wife is a black woman, and in turn has no idea his daughter has "Negro blood" as well. One afternoon, Bellew sees Irene with a friend of hers, Felise, who is clearly a black woman. Bellew puts two and two together and realizes that Irene is a black woman, which must mean Clare is also a black woman. Bellew follows Clare to a party, which just so happens to be thrown by Felise and her husband. Bellew barges in, cornering his wife, embarrassing her in front of everyone at the party.
From this point on, Clare's fate is set in stone. Will she survive the embarrassment she brought on herself?
This Novella gets my overall rating of 3.1/5
*Dee*
Before I was allowed to read the actual novella, I was required to read the reviews and literary criticism, so I already knew how the story ended. Knowing how the story ended definitely ruined the flow of the book for me, but I had to trudge through the disappointment and read it anyway.
Written in 1929 during the Harlem Renaissance, this is a story of Race, Sexual Tension, and Jealousy.
This is a story of two women, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry. Both women are light-skinned enough to "Pass" for white women, however, they are both actually Mulatto in race. Irene stayed true to her roots, living her life as a black woman, married to a black doctor named Brian. Clare, however, decided to marry a wealthy white man named John Bellew.
Clare sees Irene after many years, relaxing on the rooftop of the Drayton Hotel in Chicago, a place where only white folk are welcome. Irene uses the fact that she can pass for a white woman when it benefits her, but mostly she looks down her nose at others who pass for white.
Clare inserts herself into Irene's life, completely uninvited, and strikes up a relationship with Irene's husband. Irene begins to believe Clare and Brian are having an affair, and Irene becomes hateful toward Clare. She tries to conjure up a plan to oust Clare to Bellew, but she has second thoughts, thinking that could potentially work in Clare's favor if Bellew decided to terminate their marriage, giving Clare free reign to be with Brian.
Bellew, who is racist against black folk, has absolutely no idea that his wife is a black woman, and in turn has no idea his daughter has "Negro blood" as well. One afternoon, Bellew sees Irene with a friend of hers, Felise, who is clearly a black woman. Bellew puts two and two together and realizes that Irene is a black woman, which must mean Clare is also a black woman. Bellew follows Clare to a party, which just so happens to be thrown by Felise and her husband. Bellew barges in, cornering his wife, embarrassing her in front of everyone at the party.
From this point on, Clare's fate is set in stone. Will she survive the embarrassment she brought on herself?
This Novella gets my overall rating of 3.1/5
*Dee*
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