Nella Larsen Passing Analysis

Through reading Nella Larsen’s “Passing”, I realized this emphasis on race, more importantly the characters searching for identity in a time that violently attempts to challenge traditional ideologies and racial boundaries that were prevalent in the 1920s. I pushed into question if race was the point or if Larsen used the theme of race to divulge the consequences and nuances of racial passing in the 1920s. To answer my question, I looked into the history behind the story. The 1920s in the United States was a period marked by economic prosperity but also a time of instability of the upper class, as well as racial anxiety about blacks passing from another race. This ‘passing’ is a characteristic of Clare Kendry in which she decides to separate