Obsession: The Double Edged Sword

Paper Summary:

This paper explores how characters from both novels become obsessed with people who can live the life they secretly want. They identify with these people and want to be like them, but end up hating themselves for their secret desires. Winterson's novel deals with sex and religion, whereas Larsen's novel deals with racial issues. Characters in both novels are trying to be something they're not so they can fit in.

From the Paper:

"In Larsen's Passing, Irene is an African-American woman who, because of her light skin, has the ability to "pass" herself off as a white woman. Irene was also a self-proclaimed race woman who was involved in activism on behalf of her race. She tells Clare, "I'm on the ticket committee, or, rather, I am the committee (Larsen, 197)" of the Negro Welfare League. Irene doesn't actively engage in passing, that is, she doesn't make a conscious effort to convince others she is white, but she does take advantage of the fact that she can pass as white."

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