Summary Of Passing By Nella Larsen

The novel Passing, by Nella Larsen, is all about relationships; the relationships make it the great book it is. Think Irene and Clare. Irene and her race. Irene and her own self identity. However, one that often seems to be overlooked is her relationship with her husband Brian. This relationship affects all of her other relationships, but I think the one if affects most is Irene’s self identity. Irene’s self identity is shaped by others, and societal standards. She needs everything to be just right, so that she and her family can look good to society. Unfortunately, the same rules apply to Brian too. Irene likes Brian, and cares about him and their kids, but it seems like she only married him in order to satisfy her need to seem successful

From the first time we meet Brian, it’s clear that Irene’s power over Brian results in her arranging every aspect of their life. Irene thinks she knows what’s best for Brian and their family. In one of her first encounters with Brian, they have an argument. In her reflection, she thinks that it is unfair to, “After all these years to blame her like this. Hadn’t his success proved that she’d been right in insisting that he stick to his profession right there in New York? (57)” It’s possible that Irene and Brian define success differently. It seems that Irene sees Brian as successful because he has earned a living for him and his family, but Brian could see success as him being content, something he might not be with the current situation. She argues that her decision was not made with her in mind, “Not for her, oh no, not for her-- she never really considered herself- but for him and the boys.” (57). This would imply that she thinks she knows what’s best for Brian, even though the quote before would suggest that Brian didn’t think this was in their best interests. Later on in her contemplation, she is still upset that Brian can’t seem to appreciate “the

This accusation is based solely on instinct, and takes a great toll on her life despite the fact that she never finds any proof of any affair. Brian had been behaving strangely for awhile. When Brian invites Clare to a party that Irene didn’t intend to invite Clare to, Irene immediately assumes Brian is having an affair with “Clare Kendry! So that was it! Impossible. It couldn’t be.” (91). This seems to be part of Irene’s controlling nature, where she needs to know everything that is going on with Brian. When there’s something that is off, or unusual, about Brian, Irene needs to know what is happening. She grew paranoid. As Irene grows more and more paranoid of an affair between her husband and her childhood friend, she begins to fall apart. She begins to doubt herself that she loves Brian. The seemingly nonchalant thought came to Irene as she was thinking about the affair: “Strange, that she couldn’t now be sure that she had ever truly known love. Not even for Brian. He was her husband and the father of her sons. But was he anything more?”(113) This quote may not what Irene truly feels about Brian, as her fears of the affair with Clare may distort her view. However, I think it does hold some truth. She never really shows affection to Brian, outside of the public eye. She doesn’t really need him, except for money and to look good to society. To Irene, he is