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"The tragic mulatta" exists in a realm of her own between black and white societies, struggling to assume an identity in one of the two. Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, characters of Nella Larsen's Passing , were born alike as mulattas but their decisions in life have led them to diverging paths that sets Clare on one side of the "tragic mulatta" and Irene on the other. Meeting by chance twelve years after Clare had left to pursue an identity in white society, the two develop a relationship of social and sexual desire for each other that cannot be satisfied and only serves to encumber each other's life. The attempt to uphold such a relationship results in the destruction of both lives the ultimate end of impossibility. The context and conclusion of their relationship reflects the impossibility of successful social boundary transgressions.
Race transgression offers an escape to burdens of race, yet to fully benefit from transgression one has to cut off all ties to racial heritage. Wishing to regain security in her personal life, Irene is lost, "For the first time she suffered and rebelled because she was unable to disregard the burden of race. It was, she cried silently, enough to suffer as a woman, an individual, on one's own account, without having to suffer for the race as well (Pg. 8)." Stressed by the fact that her personal desires conflict with her allegiance to race, Irene wishes for an escape found only by "disregard[ing] the burden of race." Clare has proven that it is easy to transgress into white society and Irene sees the benefits Clare maintains the high social status, remains carefree in life, and is not weighed down by family-life. For this, Irene envies Clare and desires this aspect of Clare's lifestyle.Ironically, it is this very lifestyle that Clare attempts to escape in order to be with her "own people," a life similar to Irene's. Clare admits, "It may be,'Rene dear, it may just be, that, after all, your way may be the wiser and infinitely happier one (Pg. 47)." Irene represents a strong tie to racial heritage, proving to Clare that racial transgression is not necessary to establish oneself in high-society. The fact that Clare views Irene as the "wiser and infinitely happier one" and her frequent visits exposes Clare's yearning to take back her decision to completely pass to reestablish herself in Black society. However, her fraudulent marriage to a white man who believes she is white restricts her from doing so. This reciprocal relationship presents a dilemma Irene has to endure the burden of her social obligations and has to give up passing into white society whereas Clare endures the inescapability of completely passing into white society and has to give up ties to her racial heritage. This dilemma hints at the impossibility of social boundary transgressions because one will always yearn for what is given up.Clare and Irene's relationship goes deeper than mere envy; there exists homosexual tension between the two. Clare is an object of Irene's lust, one that she cannot pursue because she married Brian in order to pass in heterosexual society.
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In Clare's presence, however, curiosity and lust plagues Irene, she "reminded herself that she ought immediately to go. But she didn't move. The truth was, she was curious (Pg. 4)" This curiosity only grows as they meet. On many occasions, Irene is reluctant to allow herself to come in contact with Clare, yet Clare's visits are somehow always managed. Upon each contact with one another, Irene's curiosity and lust growingly nags at her but it is impossible for Irene to pursue her desire without endangering her secure passing in heterosexual life. A similar dilemma is present, due to her decision to pass into heterosexual society, Irene is forced to endure sexual tension in her marriage (or lack there of) and must give up pursuit of her true desires. Homosexual curiosity and lust will always distress Irene, reinforcing the impossibility of boundary transgression.
Within this relationship, neither possesses power over her own life, but rather holds indirect power over each other's. Clare writes to Irene, "‘For I am lonely, so lonely… cannot help longing to be with you again, as I have never longed for anything before… and it's your fault,'Rene dear. At least partly. For I wouldn't now, perhaps, have this terrible, this wild desire if I hadn't seen you that time in Chicago…' (Pg. 11)" The desire Clare refers to is the desire to return to the life which she had left behind long ago. Clare blames Irene for this desire, thus, although not in direct control of it, Irene holds power over Clare Irene is a driving force behind Clare's actions. This desire draws her to Harlem on a frequent basis, to come in contact with her past, risking her marriage and safety. If it were not for meeting Irene in Chicago, if it were not for Irene's tie to the past and to their racial heritage, then perhaps Irene would hold no power over Clare, leaving her free of any such desires. Irene's indirect power over Clare is evident.
On the other hand, Clare holds indirect power over Irene's emotions. Clare's assertive presence becomes an infringement upon Irene's secure life. Returning from their first encounter, Irene's state of mind is affected by the mere thought of Clare, "she was aware of a sense of irritation with herself because she had been pleased and a little flattered at the other's obvious gladness at their meeting. With her perspiring progress homeward this irritation grew (Pg. 0)." The irritation grew until she reached home and resolved that she was through with Clare Kendry. However, she was not through, and this irritation evolved into discontent. Irene no longer held her secure life, wishing once again to be rid of Clare's presence. Unfortunately for Irene, Clare's presence extends into the lives of those surrounding Irene, particularly her husband Brian. Irene is suspicious, "But she had an instinctive feeling that it hadn't been the whole cause of his attitude… Her fright was like a scarlet spear of terror leaping at her heart. Clare Kendry! So that was it! Impossible. It couldn't be (Pg. 8)." Paranoia emerges; Irene concludes that Clare and Brian are having an affair and this drives her emotions. Her radical emotions are described as "a scarlet spear of terror leaping at her heart," demonstrating the extent to which Clare holds power. In this scene, Irene's emotions also begin to take affect on her physical capabilities, as she fumbles with her make-up at this thought. At first, it had been Clare's flattering and pleasing that drove Irene's emotions but soon grew to be her involvement in Irene's life that guided her. Clare's power lies in the fact that she induces Irene's thoughts and ultimately drives her emotions.
To hold power over one's own life, there mustn't be any other powers controlling it. For Clare to have power over her own life once again, she needs to fully submit to Irene's power over her. Once Clare has established her old life, she would lose all desire to Irene, rendering Irene powerless over Clare. For Irene, she needs to be rid of Clare completely so that her presence and involvement could no longer exist. One possibility is for her to reveal Clare's true background to her husband in hope that her husband would then refrain her from visiting Harlem. For both, this cannot happen because of the social boundary they have chosen to live in. Clare cannot regain her old life because of her passing and marriage into white society. And because of her choice to remain a part of black society, Irene holds a racial duty to protect Clare's identity as a passer. Yet again, their placements in social boundaries have restricted them from pursuing personal goals.
Just as boundary transgressions are impossible to achieve, the relationship between the two could not exist. Irene's emotional destruction and Clare's death demonstrate the emotional and physical planes in which social boundary transgression can damage. Although the survivor of the window incident, Irene's life will forever be changed. All that remains for Irene is to live her life in denial. She is forced to deny the possible affair between Brian and Clare and to forget the desired death of a friend to basically rid Clare from her memories.Clare is only physically gone though, laying dead on the ground. It is irrelevant how she ended up there, for, as with Clare, boundary transgression could fail due to an outside force, self-destruction, or a simple mishap. Irene reacts to Clare's death, "Gone! The soft white face, the bright hair, the disturbing scarlet mouth, the dreaming eyes, the caressing smile, the whole torturing loveliness that had been Clare Kendry. That beauty that had torn at Irene's placid life. Gone! The mocking daring, the gallantry of her pose, the ringing bells of her laughter (Pg. 111)." Gone! The soft white face and bright hair that allows one to pass, the disturbing scarlet mouth and caressing smile that advances one in society, the dreaming eyes of one's hope to free of burdens, the whole torturing hope that had been boundary transgression..
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