넬라 라슨의 패싱 에 나타난 포섭과 배제의 정치학

The Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion in Nella Larsen’s Passing

This study intends to pay attention to the moment when Irene opens her eyes to a racial ‘kind consciousness’ or ‘spirit of camaraderie’ derived from her personal relationship with Clare in Nella Larsen’s Passing. This study argues that the conflict between racial consciousness as a personal kind consciousness and communal racial consciousness as a member of black middle class is the essence of Irene’s inner conflict and rupture. This study first focuses on why this novel entitled “passing” is not a story of Claire who made passing but is composed of Irene’s story left in the black world. While it is Claire who wants to return to the black community though she made the passing, it is rather Irene who desires to become a white through the passing. In addition to the ambivalent feelings of Claire’s passing, Irene exhibits a complex inner intersection of racial kind consciousness, class distance, and homosexual feelings which she feels toward Claire. In addition, at the base of this complex inner consciousness lies the class prejudice toward blacks of working class as a black of upper-middle class. This study aims to closely read the process through which Irene makes a serious approach to racial consciousness for the first time thanks to Claire but eventually fails to make true communication by becoming trapped in class prejudice.