65 pages • 2 hours read
Nella LarsenPassing
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1929A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
Ivory Mask
Irene Redfield uses this term when referring to Clare Kendry. The concept of an Ivory Mask is symbolic of those who pretend to be white, thereby slipping behind a mask and taking on the role of a white person. For Clare, however, this role has become her permanent character. She no longer passes in the sense that she goes back and forth between being a black person and being a white person. Clare has given up her black identity, so to speak, and has embraced the ivory mask not only by marrying a racist white man, but by having a child with him. As such, though the Ivory Mask is supposed to be something that can be slipped on and off, its use in the novel works to highlight how complex the concept of race is, as well as the act of passing, to those involved.
Brazil
Brian Redfield bemoans the plight of African-Americans in the United States, and has said that his dream is to move his family to Brazil in search of a better life. Irene, however, loves her country and believes that life will be harder somewhere else. Brazil symbolizes the foreign, unknown aspect of her life that she comes to dread more and more and she actively fights to suppress her husband’s dream. For Brian, on the other hand, Brazil stands out as a place of hope, and the possibility of having a second chance while holding on to one’s dignity.
Dressing/Undressing
Irene is seen in the process of undressing or dressing several times in the novel. This motif is used to highlight the act of masking and unmasking that also acts as a symbol for passing in the novel. Clare Kendry is always masked. She never lets others in to her deepest thoughts, though Irene catches glimpses every now and then. The scene in the novel when Clare sneaks in and kisses Irene on the neck highlights the play between masking and unmasking. Clare is dressed, and her intentions are veiled. Irene is undressed, and though she tries to moderate her thoughts, remembers that Clare seems to know what everyone is thinking. As such, Irene is “naked” in front of Clare in more ways than one.
Irene’s dressing up also highlights the different roles she performs, especially when she wants to mask her reasons for getting Brian to abandon the idea of moving to Brazil. Like Clare, she masks her true intentions and dresses them up as concern for the boys. When her plan backfires, she wonders if Brian has “seen through” her attempt, thus highlighting again the motif of masking and unmasking.
