Part one is written in what I thought was an omniscient narrative, until I learned in class it’s free indirect discourse that is in tuned with the Irene’s energy. The immediate difference the novel gives the audience versus the movie is background information about Clare and Irene when they were younger, as well as their character traits. (Selfish, cold & catlike were used to describe Clare). “That time in Chicago” stood out to Irene and is very revealing to a secret moment in time she shared with her friend. The scene in the novel when Irene is trying to figure out if her hat was on backwards or if something was wrong with her dress perfectly captures her queerness of desire in every sense of the phrase. Not only was she flustered by a woman she found attractive, but she was also experiencing an anxiety panic attack, or something that resembled that. The novel noted how Irene couldn’t resist the charm of Clare, even before realizing it was a familiar, irresistible charm. Reading their encounter with the movie in mind makes it a more detailed experience for what’s going on in Irene’s head.
2 thoughts on “HOT TAKE ON Irene and Clare’s “ENCOUNTER””
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Bre, I didn’t think of the line about her thinking her hat might have been on backwards as being embarrassed by the attention of a woman. If we read that first encounter scene from a queer perspective, it is really interesting. Irene desires the attention of a woman, but is flustered and somewhat defensive when she gets it, because of a fear of being found out, not only of being black, but also potentially queer.
You mentioned “that time in Chicago” when talking about Irene and Clare’s past together and I would like to add that the time they were living in had a monumental cultural transformation taking place in their society.