Irene's Foil Characters In The Passing

Clare’s arrival in Irene’s life upsets all the structures Irene has built to give herself a sense of safety. Clare is Irene’s foil, she is comfortable with danger as Irene is terrified of it. Where Irene follows safety, Clare chases freedom.Unlike Irene, who fears self-sufficiency and singularity, Clare is able to pass by switching between two different worlds, never being able to pick one, acting as a threat to the society she lives in and always living in-between. While Irene chooses safety, Clare is the center of danger. Clare Kendry’s function as a foil to Irene, making qualities of Irene's character more visible by contrast. Throughout the Passing, Larsen puts Irene’s need for safety is conflicted with Clare’s comfort with risk taking

“What I love most about Clare is exactly what enrages careful Irene the most, her sense of playfulness. She doesn’t take anything seriously enough. She is in the middle of a high-stakes poker game but she's off building a house of cards. She is a tragic character who believes that she is in a romp” (introduction xvii).Clare grew up in a household treated like a servant by her white aunts, this really impacted Clare’s perspective of whiteness and her personality as a whole. This was also the start of her passing as a white woman. She now has qualities of elegance, charm and determination, even with the past of her having a black father. “This is what's frustrating about Clare-her "having way,” as Irene describes it” (introduction xvii). Even Clare would describe herself as one who would do anything to get what she wants. Most of her decisions never really benefited her but more or less put her into danger. Likewise, she risked her life everyday by Passing. “But Clare--she had remained almost what she had always been, an attractive, somewhat lonely child--selfish, willful, and disturbing” (Larsen 85). Clare has always had a bit of selfishness, she did not really think of what would benefit others but more for herself. Clare had now began going back to Harlem, facing her past. She was always in danger and it sadly didn’t work too well in the end for Clare because she wanted a life that she already gave away, she didn’t

It could also be pointed out that Irene’s need for security leads to Clare’s death also. She told bellow about Clare’s secret and she did this to stop the on going threat in her life, although she probably somewhat regretted this after the event, a sense of relief left her. Throughout the Passing, Larsen puts Irene’s need for safety is conflicted with Clare’s comfort with risk taking which is putting both in danger this shows both safety and risk taking is dangerous. There never was truly a better route between risk taking and