According to the online Wikipedia on Passing (sociology), passing is defined as “the ability of a person to be regarded as a member of an identity group or category different than their own, which may include racial identity, ethnicity, caste, social class, …show more content…
If as an Indian or slave, didn’t manage to marry someone of a better caste, the family was doomed to suffer. Similar to “Passing” there would be social climbers with falsified genealogies in order to pass as white. The message would still remain, and I imagine the story would have a less tragic ending for Clare and her child. Although it was not stated what happened to Clare’s Daughter, after her death, one can assume she was abandoned by her father. In Mexico 1790’s, she still would be a higher caste than her mother, rather than still being considered mulatto among society. Just like in many 1920’s, Harlem, the person’s caste was a large part of the person’s identity. Surprisingly, non-elite Spaniards often move around the racial caste. I would characterize Brian, as a non-elite Spaniard in order for Irene’s marriage, to be less dangerous than Clare’s. Clare’s Husband would be an elite Spaniard who would refuse to marry anyone with indigenous bloodline, but Clare falsified her genealogy to appear and pure as