Friendship in "Passing"

Urban Dictionary defines friendship as "when you love someone with every ounce of your being and genuinely want them to be happy even if it means sacrificing something your self to make them happy". Friendship is a bond between true friends, which stays long and strong forever. Friends are the people who cherish special moments and memories of life with you. The relationship of friendship takes time to build. In the novel Passing by Nella Larsen we find glimpses of the relationship between two childhood best friends: Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry.

The connection between Clare and Irene makes friendship one of the central themes in Larsen's novel. Nonetheless, the conception of friendship that is present in the novel is complex and even a bit problematic. At times, the so called "friendship" between Clare and Irene seems completely asymmetric, since Clare consistently and eagerly reaches out while Irene, in contrast, decides to keep Clare at a distance. Nonetheless, there are signs of that genuine bond that was described earlier. Irene, after all, is genuinely worried about the repercussions of Clare's attempt to "pass" as white, and develops an admiration for Clare that if they had more time, could mature into a more profound sense of friendship.

Perhaps it's those racial tensions that also arise in Passing, likely because there are those two contrasts at play between Irene and Clare. Their shared ability to pass for white draws them together but Irene resents Clare’s decision to base her entire livelihood on her ability to pass. Thus, Irene’s internal conflict arises from the obligation she feels to protect Clare’s secret and her frustration with Clare’s rejection of the Black society.