The Opening Letter of Passing

Nella Larsen’s Passing opens with the description of a quite unusual letter. Irene has pushed it to the end of her stack--taking in the comfort of “her other ordinary and clearly directed letters” before finally confronting the long envelope that “was of a piece with all that she knew of Clare Kendry” (Larsen 5). This thought from Irene comes before she opens the letter, confirming that the material qualities--the foreign paper, purple ink, and nearly illegible writing--reflect on Clare’s character just as much as the actual content of the letter. McIntire argues that the foreign paper reflects how Irene is viewed as an exception because of how it stands out from the other letters. (It’s additionally intriguing how the paper, generally assumed to be Italian, mirrors how white society writes off Clare’s darkening skin to possible Italian or otherwise foreign ancestry) McIntire states the purple ink, a color in-between black, blue, and red, reflects Clare’s complicated place on the color line. In her interpretation, Clare’s messy, hard to read writing reflects how indiscernible her character is to Irene and how she manages to pass through society without formal definition. (McIntire 780) However, I would like to argue this letter reflects on more than just Irene’s confusion with Clare’s character.

Instead, as Gabrielle McIntire suggests, the unusual purple ink suggests Clare’s passing identity, as it is neither the typical blue nor black. McIntire furthers this argument, proposing that “the envelope--like Clare’s passing body--has allowed it to ‘pass’ through multiple hands while concealing its contents, all the while promising a decipherable message for its recipient.” (780). The peculiarity of the letter is not unique to its ink color, though. It further stands out because of the oversized, foreign paper--further establishing it as something all can agree is a letter, but do not quite know how to decipher. The foreign paper parallels how Clare could be understood as both a “foreigner” in white society, as most would reject her if her ancestry were revealed, but also foreign to Harlem and her childhood friends. This focus on the subtle distinctions of Clare’s letters makes it clear that they are intended to represent her. They are not just a method of communicating her thoughts to Irene, but an extension of her person.

Thus, when this piece of paper crosses the color line, it is representative of how Clare can pass the color line. Letters have a unique ability to cross through racialized spaces--they allow the sender and the recipient a line of communication that is assumed to be both direct and private, with a reduced fear of exposure or retribution. While Clare and Irene both cross between racialized spaces several times throughout the novel, opening the narrative with this letter establishes the central role passing will play throughout the novel alongside establishing the dynamic between Clare and Irene from the opening pages.

-BH