Zulena And Cinderella In Passing

In passing, the correlation between color and status is very important. As mentioned above, even though Irene Redfield is African-American, she displays zero signs of empathy and hires maids of her own race. Irene believes that she is superior to her workers and looks down on them. Larsen describes Zulena as ‘mahogany,’ comparing her to furniture. “Zulena, a small mahogany-coloured creature, brought in the grapefruit.” (Wilson 979). Larsen’s interpretation of Irene’s treatment toward Zulena and the servants sheds light to her being a strict mistress “passing” as white even though she is against it. On the contrary, Larsen emphasizes Clare’s description as “an attractive-looking woman with those dark, almost black, eyes and that wide mouth like a scarlet flower against the ivory of her skin” (Larsen 6).
Furthermore, Clare’s appearance at the Negro Welfare League dance is also described profoundly by Larsen, “Clare, exquisite, golden, fragrant, flaunting, in a stately gown of shining black taffeta…her slim golden feet; her glistening hair drawn smoothly….her eyes sparkling like dark jewels” (Larsen 58).
Larsen contrasts Zulena and Clare by comparing the former to a piece of furniture and the latter to a shining jewel. Being able to look white is not the only important thing in Passing. Gertrude, one of Irene and Clare’s friends in the past, is another person that hides her race in the book. Coming from the same place, Gertrude is described as something completely different from Clare. Gertrude’s husband Fred is a butcher, unlike Clare’s husband John, a successful businessman. Gertrude is described as “grown broad, fat almost, and though there were no lines on her large white face, its very smoothness was somehow prematurely ageing” (Larsen 25). The different statuses of Clare and Gertrude cause Irene to distinguish them
apart.
Even though Irene claims to be different from Clare, her actions tell otherwise. She made a decision to pass even though she loathes the notorious act. In the beginning of the book, Larsen lets readers know Irene’s thoughts when she saw Clare staring “Did that woman somehow know that here before her very eyes..sat a Negro? Absurd!...Never when she was alone had they suspect that she was a Negro. The woman sitting there staring at her couldn’t possibly know” (Larsen 7). Irene becomes acquaintances with Clare and is introduced to the “passing” world. Irene is also friends with Hugh Wentworth in the story, a white writer (Hicks 72). On her first meeting with Bellew (Clare’s husband) along with Clare and Gertrude, Irene forces herself to merge in with the “power race” in the room after hearing Bellew’s attitude toward African-Americans even though she had a “leaping desire” to shout at him (Marzoni 2) (Larsen 30). In addition, unlike Brian, Irene does not accept any talks at the dinner table that include “sex” and “nigga” (Larsen 45). Brian chooses to accept and explain to their children about society’s revolting messages to African-Americans, conversely, Irene avoids them altogether.