Which characters pass as white and to what degree?
Clare Kendry, Irene Redfield, and Gertrude Martin are all Black women who pass as white at different levels and in different circumstances. Clare has a biracial father and is the most capable of passing as white of the three women. Her ability to pass not only allows her to live in white neighborhoods and frequent white establishments but also to marry a white man who has no idea of her Blackness and assumes that she is fully white. Irene Redfield passes well enough to eat at white restaurants and stay at white hotels, but she would be frightened of attempting to pass completely in white society by marrying a white man. So, while she enjoys the privileges of whiteness in some instances, she mainly exists as a Black woman. She lives in Harlem and is married to a Black man who could under no circumstance pass for white. Gertrude Martin passes for white in her daily life and is married to a white man, but unlike Clare, her husband knows that she’s Black. Although Irene thinks that Gertrude doesn’t truly pass as white, Gertrude’s marriage to a white man is enough to convince others that she too is white, despite her physical appearance. Gertrude’s main concern is that her children might be born with dark skin, exposing their interracial background and ending her public charade of whiteness.
Why is Brian Redfield unhappy?
Irene often refers to her husband Brian’s “restlessness,” implying that Brian is not entirely content in his life. As the novella progresses, Irene shares that Brian has experienced periods of discontent and wanderlust for much of their marriage. Unlike Irene, Brian is not happy living in the United States. As a Black man with dark skin, he has no ability to pass, and he experiences the full spectrum of racist behaviors and oppressions. Brian was interested in moving to Brazil to distance himself from America’s complex and intense relationship with race, but Irene had no interest in emigrating and insisted that the family stay in the States. Additionally, Brian was never passionate about his position as a doctor and resents Irene for pushing him into the field. Like Clare, he feels held back by his spouse and children, which strains his marriage with Irene and causes tensions between him and his sons. As the possibility of moving to Brazil seems unlikely, Brian curbs his restlessness and yearning to stray by engaging in an affair with Clare.
Why does Clare Kendry want to reconnect with Irene Redfield?
When Clare writes Irene to tell her that she is in New York City and would like to meet, Clare expresses that she is incredibly lonely. However, her loneliness stems not from a lack of regular socializing but from her disconnection from the Black community. As Clare clarifies to Irene later, her marriage to a racist white man puts her in a very isolating situation in which she cannot be truthful about her roots or identity with either her husband or her all-white social circle. Initially, Clare felt that the personal sacrifices related to “passing,” which included giving up contact with other Black people, were worth it for the wealth and security that came with integrating into a monied white family. However, Clare began to change her mind after hosting Irene at her hotel in Chicago, where her husband Jack embarrassed and enraged her guests by sharing his severely bigoted views. Clare’s independence and freedom are deeply important to her. While she initially viewed Jack as a means by which she could achieve financial independence and freedom from the constraints of Blackness, she later saw her marriage to him as a trap in which she was forced to hide a part of herself and limit her socialization with certain people. Reconnecting with Irene is the means through which Clare hopes to reintegrate into Harlem’s Black community and find freedom from Jack and the constraints of whiteness.
Why doesn’t Irene want Jack Bellew to discover that Clare is Black?
When Irene learns that her husband Brian and Clare are having an affair, she wonders if telling Jack Bellew that Clare is Black (or, at least, that she is socializing with Black people) might cause such a scandal that Clare would be forced to end her affair and quit Irene’s social group entirely. However, a candid conversation with Clare informs Irene that this would not be the case. While Clare is hesitant to leave Jack because she doesn’t want to be separated from her daughter Margery, she admits that, if Jack discovered her secret and divorced her, she would take the opportunity to free herself entirely from the constraints of family. Clare feels a lesser sense of maternal connection and responsibility than many mothers, including Irene. While she loves her daughter, Clare is ultimately a selfish person. Her greatest wish is to reintegrate into the Black community, and she would be willing to give up all ties to her former whiteness, including her child, if necessary. During this conversation, Irene realizes that if Jack Bellew was to divorce Clare and take full custody of Margery, Clare would be entirely free and unattached. She would have no husband and no children holding her back, and thus would be free to pursue a real relationship with Brian. Although she won’t say as much to Irene, Clare’s plan for fully reintegrating with the Black community involves partnering with Brian. Irene worries that, should Clare become available, Brian’s sense of responsibility to his wife and children wouldn’t be strong enough to stop him from leaving them for Clare. Thus, to protect her marriage and family, she cannot allow Clare to become available, and therefore cannot tell or alert Bellew to the truth of Clare’s identity.
How does Clare Kendry die?
At the end of the novel, Clare, Irene, and Brian attend a party at the home of Dave and Felise Freeland. The Freelands live on the top floor of an apartment building, which features “long casement windows.” Casement windows are hinged on the side and therefore swing open to one side rather than opening by being lifted up. That they were long windows means that they were quite tall and stretched from near the floor to near the ceiling. Such casement windows function more like doors and might be positioned near a balcony so that one can walk from the room through the windows to the balcony. However, in the case of the Freelands’ apartment, the casement windows led only to open air. At one point during the party, Irene asks if she can open one of the windows. Later, when Jack Bellew arrives at the party, Clare is standing next to the open window. In the commotion of anger and fear, Clare falls backward out of the window and to her death below. However, Larsen implies that Irene may have pushed Clare. When Irene sees that Clare is neither upset nor frightened by the fact that Jack has discovered the truth, Irene realizes that this is because Clare feels secure in her future – she will divorce Jack, move to Harlem, and start a life with Brian. When Irene sees the smile on Clare’s face, she is enraged, as she knows that Clare’s happiness at finally being released from her marriage to Jack means that Irene’s own marriage and family is at risk of being destroyed. She rushes over to Clare and lays a hand on her arm, possessed by the thought that she cannot allow Clare to be free. In the next moment, Clare has fallen out of the window. While Irene cannot fully admit it to herself, it seems that she deliberately pushed Clare to her death to ensure that Clare could not take Brian from her and her sons.