Down These Mean Streets Analysis

In Passing, Nella Larson focuses on the inner and outer conflict Irene Kendry and Clare Redfeild have around their identity. Irene and Clare are two black women, where Clare is able to pass as a white woman, while Irene sometimes passes as a white woman when it's convenient for her. Larson shows how easy it is for one to lose one’s identity through Irene’s and Clare’s life struggles. While, in Down These Mean Streets, Piri Thomas Focuses on the inner and outer conflict of Piri Thomas has around his identity. Thomas is a dark-skinned Latino American who struggles with his identity. Piri struggles though is childhood trying to fit in with the rest of his society mainly because of the color of his skin. Although both stories have many similarities with each other, they are some differences. In this essay, I will compare and contrast both stories. Both stories are similar in their skin color, struggle with their identity but different from their
Clare’s egocentric personality is a reason of conflict in her identity. Larson describes Clare's personality as 'catlike'. According to Larson, the best word that can ever describe Clare was “Catlike” because “Sometimes she was hard and apparently without feeling at all; sometimes she was affectionate and rashly impulsive” (10). We know that Clare is a very selfish person from her own words: “to get the things I want badly enough, I’d do anything, hurt anybody, throw anything away” (81). Since Clare depended on John Bellew, her racist husband, as a foundation of her identity, wealth and social status, she simply couldn't reconnect with her black race easily. And Since Clare has been passing as a white woman for such a long time, its nearly impossible for her to shift back to her black community because they will not take her back in. Clare’s true identity has been revealed at the end of the novel to her husband, which resulted her fatal