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Explanation of the famous quotes in Passing, including all important speeches, comments, quotations, and monologues.
Find the quotes you need in Nella Larsen's Passing, sortable by theme, character, or chapter. From the creators of SparkNotes.
Quotes from Nella Larsen's Passing. Learn the important quotes in Passing and the chapters they're from, including why they're important and what they mean in the context of the book.
Passing study guide contains a biography of Nella Larsen, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. More books than SparkNotes.
- Nella Larsen
The Risks and Rewards of Passing. Previous Next. “Money’s awfully nice to have. In fact, all things considered, I think, ‘Rene, that it’s even worth the price.”. When Clare finds Irene at the Drayton, in Part One, Chapter Two, Clare asks Irene if she has ever considered passing.
Larsen uses this moment to introduce the theme of the heightened awareness of marginalized people. Although white people believe they know enough about Blackness to keep segregated spaces white-only, Irene has contempt for their failure to see her Blackness.
The reaction of Irene and her childhood friends to rumors of Clare consorting with white people shows how taboo passing and racial integration were in 1920s America. While the girls gossip about passing, Irene’s memory of their “eager shining eyes” suggests that they also envy Clare.
