The novel, Passing by Nella Larsen, has many themes and dynamics that occur between its flawed characters. Although they are married, Irene and Brian don’t exactly operate with a sense of partnership. Who is Brian to Irene? What are their dynamics? The novel reveals Irene’s thoughts and perceptions of her husband through their dialogue. The novel exhibits free indirect discourse that caters to Irene’s conscious and subconscious. Irene’s thoughts are embedded into the Passing’s narration as it reveals its main characters’ false security and how they are ‘passing’ on their true desires. Throughout the novel, Irene’s thoughts don’t suggest any affectionate or romantic actions towards Brian. This precedes to more questions: Who is Brian? What moments are happening with Brian that gives the reader insight to him as a person? What is like/ what does it mean to see Brian?

A more important question to pose is why is Irene less concerned with her husband than she is about Clare? When Irene’s narration is focused on Clare, it’s very found and endearing. She looks at Clare’s eyes and perceives them as “luminous.” (Larsen 30) Irene views Clare as, “too good-looking,” and (Larsen 33) puts her on an obsessive pedestal. Irene choses to focus on the fault of her husband without any acknowledgement of an appreciation of him beyond his career. This line in the novel, “Brian, again. Unhappy, restless, withdrawn,” (Larsen 155) alludes to a narrative that interprets Brian to be an irritable, unsatisfied husband and father. It is intriguing to read the free indirect discourse narration when Irene is around Clare and how much she compliments Clare, in contrast to her thoughts about her husband that aren’t as affectionate.

Passing, exhibits its main character in scenarios that expose their false security and how characters are passing on their true desires – in more ways than one. Irene doesn’t think affectionate thoughts like, “a tempting mouth” (Larsen 45) about her husband like she thinks about Clare. However, her thoughts refer to Brian as “extremely good looking” and pleasantly masculine. (Larsen 93) “She was, to him [Brian], only the mother of his sons. That was all. Alone she was nothing.” (Larsen 171) Irene views Brian as a reliable husband who comes home to her and her sons. The insight of Brian’s loyalty to his family is shown to readers during the “Re-Encounter” section. “Brian Redfield had come into the room in the noises way which, in spite, of the years of their life together, still have the power to disconcert her.” (Larsen 91) Irene is less concerned with her husband than she is about Clare. This exposes her married life image as conveniency while she is passing on her true desires to be with someone else, like Clare.

Queer themes are present throughout Harlem Renaissance writings from Smoke, Lilies, and Jade to the literary magazine Fire! This essay, “Insolent Racing, Rough Narrative: The Harlem Renaissance’s Impolite Queers,” brings attention to the difficulties for the Renaissance writers to intersect two movements that are often looked down on: sexuality and race. “Still, explorations about queer sexuality and African American literary production suffer from an inability to queer, substantially, the cultural expressions of race, especially once race becomes the organizing rubric under which a culture articulates a literary tradition.” (Cobb 328) “Too be Black and gay, to be a double negative in America, is more than a notion,” said historian Michael Henry Adams in this “NowThisNews” YouTube video. I strongly believe this is why Clare decided to not only pass as a white woman, but she also chose a “safer” life of being heterosexually. However, this whitewashed life is the vital factor for her fate.

Unlike the film, Passing, which interrupted three possibilities of Clare’s death, the novel elucidated Irene pushed Clare out of the window. It can be led to interpretation that Irene was fed up with not having Clare the way she truly wanted.  A YouTube channel named “The Princess and the Scrivener” posted this video which indicated how effortless it was to find gay men and lesbian women during the Harlem Renaissance. This video spoke about lesbian activist and dancer Mabel Hampton as well as civil rights leader and entertainer Josephine Baker who was bisexual.  Although they were brave to live in their truth, Irene was not and decided to choose a heterosexual life. She may not purposely pass for a white woman like her dear friend/ lover Clare, but she is ‘passing’ on her true desires.