Clare Kendry

E737520

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.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Clare Kendry canonical 9

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character ⓘ
literary character ⓘ
appearsIn Passing ⓘ
associatedTheme class aspiration ⓘ
female friendship ⓘ
marriage and infidelity ⓘ
queer subtext in women’s relationships ⓘ
associatedWith Chicago ⓘ
Harlem ⓘ
centralThemeOf desire ⓘ
racial identity ⓘ
secrecy ⓘ
characterFunction catalyst for Irene Redfield’s self-examination ⓘ
childhoodFriendOf Irene Redfield ⓘ
conceals her Black heritage ⓘ
creator Nella Larsen ⓘ
deathCircumstances falls from a window at a party ⓘ
deathInterpretation ambiguous (accident, suicide, or murder) ⓘ
diesIn Passing ⓘ
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 ⓘ
literaryMovement Harlem Renaissance ⓘ
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 ⓘ
linked to: American literature
provokes jealousy in Irene Redfield ⓘ
sexual and emotional tension ⓘ
racePresentation white ⓘ
setting 1920s America ⓘ
Harlem Renaissance era ⓘ
linked to: Harlem Renaissance
skinColor light-skinned ⓘ
spouse John Bellew ⓘ
spouseEthnicity white ⓘ
spouseIgnorantOf her Black ancestry ⓘ
symbolizes allure of transgressive desire ⓘ
danger of passing ⓘ
instability of racial categories ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (9)

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

Passing (2021 film) → mainCharacter → Clare Kendry ⓘ
subject linked to: Passing
Irene Redfield → closeFriend → Clare Kendry ⓘ
Irene Redfield → childhoodFriend → Clare Kendry ⓘ
Irene Redfield → conflictWith → Clare Kendry ⓘ
Passing (1929) → hasCharacter → Clare Kendry ⓘ
John Bellew → hasSpouse → Clare Kendry ⓘ
John Bellew → hasRelationshipWith → Clare Kendry ⓘ
Passing (novel) → mainCharacter → Clare Kendry ⓘ
Encounter (section of Passing) → featuresCharacter → Clare Kendry ⓘ
subject linked to: Encounter