Summary Of Irene's Struggle For Identity In Blood Diamond

Irene tries to fit into the mold of what is expected of a women in society but strays away from her true identity. Irene, being able to “pass” as white, chooses to remain loyal to her roots and embrace her black identity but she is not satisfied. Irene considers herself to be high ranked in the black society because she is married to a doctor, Brian, and judges other women by their husband. “Gertrude, Irene thought, looked as if her husband might be a butcher” (25). This shows that Irene judges based on appearance and likes to think highly of herself. But her relationship with Brian isn’t as perfect as she portrays it to be. Deep down, Irene has a sense of fear stealing away her sense of security with Brian (43). Irene realizes that she cannot have the same privileges as being white has because she is bound to a race that limits her from doing what she wants. All of Irene’s mixed feelings about her identity leaves her in a state where she wishes that “she had not been born a Negro” because she was “caught between two allegiance” (78); herself and her race. “For the first time, she [suffers] and [rebels] because she [is] unable to disregard the burden of race”, it is already “enough to suffer as a women” but with race, she feels “cursed as Ham’s dark children” (78). Irene is simply lost and does not know what to do anymore, as she is struggling to fit into society, she believes “that no one is ever completely happy or free or safe” (52).

In their society, they try to be normal by masking their feelings about their racial identity and feelings for each other to live up to the expectations of their people. In a world between life and death, Larsen describes that you can never truly escape the race that you are born into. You can choose to “pass” but eventually it will die off because in the end, you are ultimately bound to your race and all the rules that are tied to