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Passing Nella Larson Quotes

595 Words3 Pages

Giovanni Silva
Mrs. Ortiz
African American Lit
20 April 2022
Losing your cultural identity

Passing by Nella Larson takes place in the 1920s with two main characters, Clare and Irene. Throughout the book they battle the decision if they should pass or not. Clare is an example of how people sacrifice their cultural identity to gain privileges and advantages in society. Passing occurs when a person who is classified as a member of a racial group is accepted or perceived as a member of another racial group.
Passing as white can have significant consequences for individuals who choose to do so. Especially with regards to sacrificing their cultural identity and who they are. For example, “Clare for instance, had passed completely, and so had lost everything that made up here n**** self” (Larson 18). This quote expresses the consequences of passing as white. Clare now has lost who she is as a person, this resulted in her losing her cultural identity. The thought of …show more content…

As you can see, “Her intense desire to escape the limitations imposed upon her by race and gender had blinded her to all other considerations”(Larson 95). For instance in this quote Clare has a strong motivation to overcome her limitations from her race and gender. However, this vigorous drive to gain advantages and privileges in society eagerly makes Clare overlook the significant consequences and idea of losing her cultural identity.
Passing as white helps that person gain advantages and privileges in society that they could not reach before. Clare feels that her new life as passing opens her up to a new world, an example being, “It was, she thought, like being wafted upward on a magic carpet to an-other world, pleasant, quiet, and strangely remote from the sizzling one

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