Identity And Acceptance In Nella Larsen's Passing

If we were to simply take the term or the word 'passing' and attempt to define it we may first find ourselves thinking of a person's death or the mere act of time itself passing. But within the context of Nella Larsen's novel 'Passing' the term refers to the success and acceptance of a person with black heritage who appears white into the white community. Now, this definition of 'passing' eludes the idea of one disguising themselves, or rather assuming a different identity and heritage to the one that is their own, an identity and heritage that is deemed and looked upon as socially acceptable. Larsen's novel centres around this theme of social approval looking closely at the concepts of colour, behaviour, and acceptance, but crucially through her characters, she demonstrates the pressures that are attached to 'passing' and the challenges that may be faced.

Though the novel itself is a commentary on the implications of colour and race within 1920's America, it is not only …show more content…
This image of the 'silver spoon in the white hand' brings forth this idea of inheritance, the inherited hierarchy, and power that is attached to the social position of white people. This idea of power is then reinforced with the silver spoon '[slitting]' through the melon. The hard 's' of the word 'slit' makes the word aggressive and forceful, and this then used in contrast to the hard 'd' of the 'dull gold of the melon' stresses the opposition between the two. But not only do the adjectives stress the opposition but the colours used also - the 'silver' of the spoon and the 'gold' of the melon. Silver and gold are opposites just as white and black are. The 'silver spoon' has this power to easily 'slit' through the 'dull gold' melon and this image depicts the social hierarchy that existed in 1920's America between white and black

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Identity And Acceptance In Nella Larsen's Passing

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