Racial Disconnect and Homoeroticism in Passing, by Nella Larsen

“For I am lonely, so lonely…cannot help longing to be with you again, as I have never longed for anything before; and I have wanted many things in my life….. You can’t know how in this pale life of mine I am all the time seeing the bright pictures of that other that I once thought I was glad to be free of…It’s like an ache, a pain that never ceases…. 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….” (Larsen 11)

This quote from Nella Larsen’s Passing sets up a lot about her novel and can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Taken from a letter written to the protagonist, Irene Redfield, from her high school friend Claire Kendry, it seems to describe (on the surface) Clare’s feeling of disconnect with her African-American roots, which she has hide to hide by “passing” as a white woman in her marriage to a deeply racist, but very rich, white man. Her “pale life” does not compare with “the bright picture of the other,” that other being her race and its culture. When she married her husband, she thought she “was glad to be free of” that “other,” but has since come to realize that this is not the case, particularly after reuniting with Irene, who does not attempt to “pass” and maintains a connection with her roots. This, however, is a rather superficial analysis of this passage. I believe that there is a deeper homoerotic interpretation that can be gleaned from it.

            Clare’s passion in this letter is undeniable, as she clearly indicates her painful loneliness, with lines like “I am lonely, so lonely” and “It’s like an ache, a pain that never ceases.” Though on the surface these remarks have to do with their race, I believe that she may be attempting to convey her passion for Irene, as these are phrases often associated with love and desire. This desire is more overtly mentioned later in the passage when Clare writes “I wouldn't now, perhaps, have this terrible, wild desire if I hadn't seen you that time in Chicago.” She explicitly blames Irene for her desire, and though Irene could be held partially responsible for Clare’s racial crisis, Clare could also be referring to a deeper desire, one considered both “terrible” and “wild,” as lesbianism was during this time. Though it is not overt, I believe that this interpretation could be drawn from an analysis of this passage.