Did Irene cry because she had a feeling that something bad would happen to Clare if she continued to attend her parties (Nella Larsen 164)? I find it weird that she had to release that emotion before meeting Clare to attend the event. It is transparent that Clare evokes something within Irene that drives her to cry. “A feeling of absolute unimportance followed. Actually, she didn’t count. She was, to him, only the mother of his sons. That was all. Alone she was nothing. Worse. An obstacle. Rage boiled up inside her. There was a slight crash” (Larsen 171).
This passage is so important because the reader is placed inside Irene’s stream of thoughts. It also reveals how much Irene overthinks and how jealous/envious she is of Clare. Then the following comment about the broken tea-pot as something useless from Brian (Larsen 173). It is passive-aggressive and depicts her anger. Irene needs therapy and may suffer from functional depression or some other form of mental health issue.
Irene is in another world trying to shield her New Negro offspring from the reality that faces them shortly (Larsen 192).
Irene staring at the painting is reminiscent of that of a soldier suffering from PTSD (Larsen 210).
G’Nelle, I loved that you pointed out the point of view the author takes with the novel. I agree that we were often put into Irene’s stream of consciousness, and it definitely gives us more insight into who and how Irene thought about her circumstances.