The Passing
Role of Appearance, Racial, and Social Identity view throughout Passing
“Passing” is the movement of a person who is legally or socially black designated into a white racial category or social identity. “Passing”; a product that came out of Plessy v. Ferguson indicating the equalities between racial identities to become very blatant in social, political, educational, and economic areas that increased and mainly focusing on visually light-skinned women and men being declared “Colored” or “Negro” and more associated with a second class citizenship. Within Passing, Larsen portrays Clare and Irene as women who choose their racial identities. Defining it as “passing in a meeting between Clare and Irene as a simple but ‘hazardous business’,” requiring the “breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly to take one’s chance in another environment that isn’t entirely strange or friendly” (Larsen ix). By changing the definition of the ability to read racial and social contexts and changing their environment or social class disrupts the ultimate stereotyping that occurs in society. This entitles individuals to both basic human and constitutional rights. However “passing” raises issues forcing to conform to a stereotype that embraces the appearance of skin, color and race. Appearance, racial, and social identity are constructed to suppress the individuals heritage and history which is shown somewhat in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, but is better portrayed in the infamous Rhinelander case that occurred during the same period as Passing. The argument presented is that women, in particular, should not have to physically and mentally askew their appearance, racial, and social status to meet the basic standards of citizenship. Larsen provides more than one direct way of expressing “passing” because her entire novel is a story that is based on its existence entirely. The argument that is posed is why ‘passing’ is looked down upon but at the same time embraced and
“Passing” is the movement of a person who is legally or socially black designated into a white racial category or social identity. “Passing”; a product that came out of Plessy v. Ferguson indicating the equalities between racial identities to become very blatant in social, political, educational, and economic areas that increased and mainly focusing on visually light-skinned women and men being declared “Colored” or “Negro” and more associated with a second class citizenship. Within Passing, Larsen portrays Clare and Irene as women who choose their racial identities. Defining it as “passing in a meeting between Clare and Irene as a simple but ‘hazardous business’,” requiring the “breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly to take one’s chance in another environment that isn’t entirely strange or friendly” (Larsen ix). By changing the definition of the ability to read racial and social contexts and changing their environment or social class disrupts the ultimate stereotyping that occurs in society. This entitles individuals to both basic human and constitutional rights. However “passing” raises issues forcing to conform to a stereotype that embraces the appearance of skin, color and race. Appearance, racial, and social identity are constructed to suppress the individuals heritage and history which is shown somewhat in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, but is better portrayed in the infamous Rhinelander case that occurred during the same period as Passing. The argument presented is that women, in particular, should not have to physically and mentally askew their appearance, racial, and social status to meet the basic standards of citizenship. Larsen provides more than one direct way of expressing “passing” because her entire novel is a story that is based on its existence entirely. The argument that is posed is why ‘passing’ is looked down upon but at the same time embraced and