Hybridity as a Threat to Normative Constructions of Self in Nella Larsen’s Passing

Abstract: In this study, I examine Nella Larsen’s Passing against scholars’ tendency to analyze the interactions between the novel’s two protagonists, Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield, as focusing on a single facet of their identities. Instead, I consider the importance of multiple identity categories in Larsen’s work—race, class, gender, and sexuality—to demonstrate how the multifaceted tensions between Irene and Clare symbolize a broader clash between hybrid and normative modes of identity construction. While Irene may be seen as a defender of culturally imposed norms and practices, I employ Homi Bhabha’s theory of hybridity and Judith Butler’s theory of performativity to illustrate how Clare exemplifies Bhabha’s “third space.” Ultimately, Larsen portrays Clare as punished for her transgressions against normative definitions of identity because her liminal existence undermines Irene’s racial pride and adherence to middle-class, patriarchal, and heteronormative ideals.