"The Passing"

Paper Summary:

This paper provides an analysis of the book "The Passing", written in 1929. It shows how, in this period, people were still mainly classified by their skin color. The book deals with the issue of how African-Americans themselves were divided, with the lighter-skinned people being accepted by the "white" society and the darker-skinned people being rejected even by their own.

From the Paper:

"Passing refers to the practice of light skinned black people trying to "pass" in white society. If a black person passed, they were thought of as rejecting their own history and heritage. If they could not or chose not to pass, then they were giving up a whole host of privileges and rights that came from being white. These were the Days before the Supreme Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, everything was separate, but not any where near equal. If everything was equal, it is hard to imagine a black person who would want to "pass." There was this tug of war then, between heritage and rights that played on the people. Indeed, at the beginning of the novel, Irene runs into her childhood friend Clare, while they are both passing at a fancy Chicago hotel, Clare as a matter of course, and Irene, to avoid the summer heat of Chicago."

More papers on "The Passing":

• Analytical Essay # 55216 : "The 'Passing' of Protagonists"
• Research Paper # 72330 : "Trademark Law: Passing Off"
• Book Review # 68148 : "The House Behind the Cedars"

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