The Hazardous Business of Irene Redfield Just shy of two decades into the twentieth century, The United States experienced a cultural shift as World War I was coming to a close and soldiers returned home. This new chapter in American history roared with economic growth, fresh artistic expression, social and political progress, new technologies, contemporary fashion trends, and continued discrimination against African Americans. When learning about the “roaring twenties” and decades to follow we often deny the importance of the Harlem Renaissance—a period of heightened African American involvement in the artistic, musical, and literary world that caused an explosion of cultural exploration and African American progress. The Harlem Renaissance
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Irene’s truest and deepest desires and weaknesses are projected onto Clare. Simply, Clare is Irene’s double (Wagner 145). The image of Clare that Irene portrays to readers is a depiction of herself. Throughout the novel readers receive a biased representation of Clare; she is selfish, empty-headed, dangerous, evasive, chaotic, and racially unaware, when in fact Irene is exposing her own insecurities. Evidence of doubling the protagonist and antagonist can be found numerous times throughout the novel when Irene reveals Clare’s ability to always be inside her head. “As if aware of her desire and her hesitation” (Larsen 157), “Uncanny, the way Clare could divine what one was thinking” (167), “Clare Kendry always seemed to know what other people were thinking” (234). Irene recognizes Clare’s familiarity with her. I suggest this is Irene’s way of confessing her self-projection onto Clare. Now that I’ve proposed Irene’s routine of accusing Clare of personal vices, I can construct a detailed characterization of Irene …show more content…
She “prides herself in her loyalty to her race” (Wagner 144) but her behavior obviously contradicts such “loyalty.” Giving herself the title of “uplifting the brother” one would suspect Irene to be racially aware but this is not the case (Larsen 186). In the scene where Irene and Clare meet at the Drayton, Irene’s racial repression is the most obvious. Realizing that she had caught the attention of this woman across the room, Irene cycles through all the possibilities as to why this woman would be staring. Was her hat on backwards? Did she have powder on her nose? Was it her dress? It is not until she exhausts all possibilities of her appearance being the concern that Irene questions that perhaps the woman could suspect she was a Negro (Wagner 152). Although she claims to be an advocate for racial improvement, Irene’s thoughts are far from racially consistent. As readers we are aware that Irene herself lacks prominent racial markings. She has ability to pass in the white community and often takes the opportunity to do so even though she condemns the act of passing. Referring to it as a “hazardous business…breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly…not entirely strange, perhaps, but certainly not entirely friendly” (Larsen 157), Irene denies that she has ever taken advantage of being able to pass contradicting her beliefs (Wagner 148). When
Irene’s truest and deepest desires and weaknesses are projected onto Clare. Simply, Clare is Irene’s double (Wagner 145). The image of Clare that Irene portrays to readers is a depiction of herself. Throughout the novel readers receive a biased representation of Clare; she is selfish, empty-headed, dangerous, evasive, chaotic, and racially unaware, when in fact Irene is exposing her own insecurities. Evidence of doubling the protagonist and antagonist can be found numerous times throughout the novel when Irene reveals Clare’s ability to always be inside her head. “As if aware of her desire and her hesitation” (Larsen 157), “Uncanny, the way Clare could divine what one was thinking” (167), “Clare Kendry always seemed to know what other people were thinking” (234). Irene recognizes Clare’s familiarity with her. I suggest this is Irene’s way of confessing her self-projection onto Clare. Now that I’ve proposed Irene’s routine of accusing Clare of personal vices, I can construct a detailed characterization of Irene …show more content…
She “prides herself in her loyalty to her race” (Wagner 144) but her behavior obviously contradicts such “loyalty.” Giving herself the title of “uplifting the brother” one would suspect Irene to be racially aware but this is not the case (Larsen 186). In the scene where Irene and Clare meet at the Drayton, Irene’s racial repression is the most obvious. Realizing that she had caught the attention of this woman across the room, Irene cycles through all the possibilities as to why this woman would be staring. Was her hat on backwards? Did she have powder on her nose? Was it her dress? It is not until she exhausts all possibilities of her appearance being the concern that Irene questions that perhaps the woman could suspect she was a Negro (Wagner 152). Although she claims to be an advocate for racial improvement, Irene’s thoughts are far from racially consistent. As readers we are aware that Irene herself lacks prominent racial markings. She has ability to pass in the white community and often takes the opportunity to do so even though she condemns the act of passing. Referring to it as a “hazardous business…breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly…not entirely strange, perhaps, but certainly not entirely friendly” (Larsen 157), Irene denies that she has ever taken advantage of being able to pass contradicting her beliefs (Wagner 148). When