The Frame

by Nella Larsen

“Passing” refers to a member of one race successfully pretending to be of a different race. Claire is a very light-skinned woman with black ancestry who passes as white to the extent of marrying a white bigot and he never knows the difference. Her childhood friend Irene is too dark to physically pass, but the title is ironic, because Irene is an upper-class African American–of the class and temperament to imitate whites in terms of societal structures. Meanwhile, Claire tends more and more throughout the book to want to revert to her African American upbringing–so is it really Claire or Irene who is “passing”? The idea of there being a black societal hierarchy that is separate but parallel to white society is also found in Jessie’ Fauset’s There is Confusion; I hadn’t really thought of this existing before, so seeing more of its intricacies was interesting. Plus, both Irene and Claire were intriguing characters. A small, slight book, but insightful and engaging.
Above Average