Clare Kendry

E737520

fictional character literary character

Clare Kendry is a light-skinned Black woman in Nella Larsen’s novel "Passing" whose decision to live as white drives the story’s exploration of racial identity, secrecy, and desire.

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Statements (47)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	fictional character ⓘ literary character ⓘ
appearsIn	Passing NERFINISHED ⓘ
associatedTheme	class aspiration ⓘ female friendship ⓘ marriage and infidelity ⓘ queer subtext in women’s relationships ⓘ
associatedWith	Chicago NERFINISHED ⓘ Harlem NERFINISHED ⓘ
centralThemeOf	desire ⓘ racial identity ⓘ secrecy ⓘ
characterFunction	catalyst for Irene Redfield’s self-examination ⓘ
childhoodFriendOf	Irene Redfield NERFINISHED ⓘ
conceals	her Black heritage ⓘ
creator	Nella Larsen NERFINISHED ⓘ
deathCircumstances	falls from a window at a party ⓘ
deathInterpretation	ambiguous (accident, suicide, or murder) ⓘ
diesIn	Passing NERFINISHED ⓘ
engagesIn	racial passing ⓘ
ethnicity	Black ⓘ
experiences	boredom with white upper-class life ⓘ nostalgia for Black community ⓘ
firstPublicationContext	novel published in 1929 ⓘ
gender	female ⓘ
hasRelationshipWith	Irene Redfield NERFINISHED ⓘ
literaryMovement	Harlem Renaissance NERFINISHED ⓘ
maritalStatus	married ⓘ
motivation	access to white privilege ⓘ escape from poverty ⓘ social mobility ⓘ
narrativePerspectiveOn	performative nature of race ⓘ
narrativeRole	foil to Irene Redfield ⓘ tragic figure ⓘ
nationalContext	United States literature NERFINISHED ⓘ
provokes	jealousy in Irene Redfield ⓘ sexual and emotional tension ⓘ
racePresentation	white ⓘ
setting	1920s America ⓘ Harlem Renaissance era NERFINISHED ⓘ
skinColor	light-skinned ⓘ
spouse	John Bellew NERFINISHED ⓘ
spouseEthnicity	white ⓘ
spouseIgnorantOf	her Black ancestry ⓘ
symbolizes	allure of transgressive desire ⓘ danger of passing ⓘ instability of racial categories ⓘ

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Irene Redfield → childhoodFriend → Clare Kendry ⓘ

Irene Redfield → closeFriend → Clare Kendry ⓘ

Irene Redfield → conflictWith → Clare Kendry ⓘ

Passing (1929) → hasCharacter → Clare Kendry ⓘ

Passing → mainCharacter → Clare Kendry ⓘ

subject surface form: Passing (2021 film)