There is no obvious answer to choosing between Claire and Irene in terms of who is the more admirable character. Claire, while looked down upon because of her alienation of Black society to better herself, can be pitied. She lost her father and was removed from the Black community by her aunts— “passing” as white to marry John Bellew was an opportunity I am not sure she could have let pass her. Irene, on the other hand, while capable of passing, remained in the Black community and settled there as an adult where she raised a stable family. However, while an admirable life choice, Irene cannot be forgiven for her dreadful act out of spite at the end of the novel. Irene’s need to have complete control over all external factors influencing her life and, by extension, the life of her family drove her to eliminate Claire, a selfish free spirit that there was no controlling. While Claire is no doubt a frustrating character in regards to her relationship with the community that raised her, she sacrificed her comfort in that community to move up in the world, and albeit by dishonest means, that self-sacrifice is more admirable than Irene’s paranoia.
