넬라 라선의 『패싱』 - 욕망의 구도와 동성애

Nella Larsen"s Passing: Narrative of Desire and Homosexuality

  During the early twentieth century, one in which racial boundaries and differences among "passing" blacks became unstable, African-American writers made great efforts to tackle the theme of "the color line," the racial and cultural phenomenon called "passing." Nella Larsen in Passing also confronts and challenges this theme. Poignantly addressing the impossibility of cultural reading of passing, Larsen opens up an alternative space for African-Americans where a new modern black identity could be produced, an identity in-between, constantly fluctuating between black and white. At the very core of such a passing identity lies the complex and ambivalent desire of passing subject. Although the primary concern of Passing seems to be on racial passing, it also reveals the very subtle play of (homo-)sexual passing in its elusory language. This paper thus attempts to examine the narrative of desire and of homosexuality in the novel. Larsen, in her ambiguous use of language, not only blurs the boundaries and dynamics of desires among major characters, but also reveals the complicated interplay between desire and homosexuality. Tracing the meaning of each character"s innermost desire, this paper argues how each character masks their private, latent sexual desires for their social/class roles. Nevertheless their attempt to escape, through their dangerous and subversive desires, from the normalcy of sexual mores and middle-class values of the time ultimately proves unacceptable and poignantly reminds us of the fatal costs they have to pay.