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Inner Conflict In Nella Larsen's Passing

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Racism was always a big issue and still occurs today. The story “Passing” took place in the 1920’s during the Harlem Renaissance and it spoke about the term “Passing” which indicates that African American’s who looked lighted skin can go to public places without being discriminated. In “Passing” Nella Larsen demonstrates how racism causes jealousy, resentment, and dishonesty in relationships. The idea is conveyed through inner conflict, the conflict between the main characters and how the Harlem Renaissance period inflicts tension in relationships.
Larsen uses inner conflict to make it coherent how racism will cause problems in relationships. First, Clare Kendry married a white man who detests people with color. She never told her husband …show more content…

For instance, there is a conflict in the relationship between Irene and Clare because Clare wants to reconnect with her old life, nevertheless this causes instability in Irene’s secure lifestyle. Clare secretly visits and spends time with Irene’s family which causes jealousy because change occurs. Clare’s frequent visits causes Irene to: “secretly resenting these visits to the playroom, for some obscure reason which shied away from putting into words, never requested that make an end of them, or hinted that she wouldn’t spoiled her own Margaery outrageously nor be so friendly with white servants” (63). This indicates that Clare is spending time at the Redfield’s tying to pass as a black woman trying to live as an African American woman while forgetting about her own responsibilities with her own daughter. In addition, Irene feels insecure that Clare will jeopardize her role as a mother at the Redfield residence. This clearly suggests that Clare is not capable of being fully part of a white or black society at the same time. Therefore, Clare’s way to cope with racism causes Irene to be jealous which creates conflict in their relationship. Secondly, there is conflict between Irene and Brian Redfield about they should raise their children. For example, Irene wants her children to not deal with racism in their childhood and on the contrary, Brian

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1920’s society offered a prominent way for blacks that look white to exploit its barrier and pass in society. Visible within Nella Larsen’s Passing, access to the regular world exists only for those who fit the criteria of white skin and white husband. Through internal conflict and characterization, the novella reveals deception slowly devours the deceitful. In Passing, Clare and Irene both deceive people. They both engage in deceit by having the ability to pass when they are not of the proper race to do so.

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Irene's marriage with Brian Redfield is empty and unfulfilling. Brian resents Irene because she was the reason why he could not be where he wanted to be, which has led to discomfort and arguments throughout their marriage. Brian very much wanted to be in Brazil, but Irene insisted upon him

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She uses the foil to explore how Irene and Clare experience womanhood differently and connects it to the expectations of women in the 1920s. She mainly uses motherhood and marriage to exhibit these differences in their lives based on off race. She uses motherhood to show how Clare hates being a mother because of her fear of her husband finding out she’s black through her daughter’s skin tone. Irene appreciates being a mother even though she sacrifices her own desires for it; she understands the huge responsibility that comes with being a mother and embraces it. Marriage is used to portray Clare’s fear of her husband, and it shows Irene’s insecurity in her marriage when she suspects Clare and Brian are having an affair, yet her faith in her husband when she blames herself.

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She finds herself thinking of him and how much she loved him. Although she recognizes that he was unstable, she cannot push her feelings away and cannot begin to understand why he decided to leave her. She does speak of their differences and how because of them she is “now covered in the colors pull[ed] apart at the seams” (Halsey Web). Their relationship, while in the beginning compelling, ends with the departure of the boy and the devastation of the girl. The boy was unable to make their differences work, and dealing with personal issues as well, decided to walk away.

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Myrtle is accustomed to living an underprivileged life where feminine power engulfs her, but Tom is too egotistical to allow Myrtle to speak with such authority to him. Similarly, Gatsby’s need for assurance from Daisy pressures her into revealing to Tom that she never loved him (Fitzgerald 132). Deep down, Daisy knows that she truly did love Tom once, but Gatsby’s assertiveness and persistence drives her over the edge to telling Tom that what the two of them shared meant nothing to her. Daisy’s attribute of being a pushover is revealed immensely because she refuses to stand up for herself. Daisy is used to enabling Tom to constantly control all aspects of her life, and that leaves her powerless in society.

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