After reading Passing, I can definitely sympathize more with Irene. Clare admits herself that she is manipulative and selfish. She seduces Irene on several instances and takes advantage of the fact that Irene is genuinely trying to help her simply because they share the same race. I cannot sympathize with Clare because she chose to live her life as a white woman, but relies on her black ties to get her through life. If she truly wanted to be among Irene and Gertrude, why didn’t she remain a part of their culture? She had a welcoming community that would accept her, but she chose to outcast herself for someone who didn’t even know her true self. Even after choosing to leave the community, she expects Irene to be loyal to her.
The ending of the book is unclear. I could not make out the cause of Clare’s death. Did she fall out of the window intentionally because she couldn’t face Jack after he knew the truth? Did Irene feel so threatened by her that she pushed Clare out the window herself? If Irene did push Clare, then I might change my stance on who is character more deserving of sympathy. However, if Clare brought her death upon herself, she should have known the risk she was putting herself in. If she didn’t, Irene told her on several occasions that she was playing with fire by not telling Jack of her race before marrying him.
Clare not only lied to her husband, but she betrayed her one and only true friend. By cheating on Jack with Irene’s husband, Brian, she provoked Irene’s bad side to reveal itself. When Clare threatened Irene’s family and her marriage, Irene had to put an end to Clare’s manipulations. Despite Irene’s genuine efforts to be friendly with her old classmate, Clare never respected Irene’s feelings or her person.
