# Clare Kendry — Short Fiction character guide > Clare Kendry in Short Fiction by Nella Larsen. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Clare, Claire, the Kendry **First appearance:** 0000-passing ## Snapshot A golden, reckless woman who crossed the color line into white marriage, now hungering to slip back into the Black world she abandoned. ## Who they are Clare Kendry lives as a white man's wife in Chicago, but her letters to Irene pulse with a yearning for 'my own people' and a taste for risk that unsettles everyone around her. Exquisite and self-absorbed, she wants her cake and everyone else's too, as Irene puts it, and she refuses to count the cost of her longings. Her return to Harlem sets the story's central collision in motion. ## Relationships ### [Irene Redfield](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/irene_redfield) _psychological_ Clare exerts a magnetic, unsettling pull on Irene, mixing fascination with fear and resentment as Clare's presence threatens Irene's carefully constructed life. ### [Brian Redfield](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/brian_redfield) _psychological_ Brian is drawn to Clare's daring and freedom, which Irene perceives as a dangerous romantic threat, fueling Irene's jealousy and paranoia. ### [John Bellew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/john_bellew) _family_ Clare is married to John Bellew, but the relationship is built on Clare's secret racial passing and John's oblivious racism, making it deeply unstable. ### [Gertrude Martin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/gertrude_martin) _friendship_ Clare and Gertrude share a past as light-skinned Black women who have married white men, creating a bond of shared secrets and social navigation. ### [Hugh Wentworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/hugh_wentworth) _social_ Clare and Hugh are acquaintances who share a flirtatious, intellectual rapport at social gatherings, with Hugh intrigued by Clare's boldness. ### [Margaret Hammer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/margaret_hammer) _social_ Margaret is a mutual acquaintance of Clare and Irene, representing the upper-class Black social scene that Clare re-enters. ### [Jack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/jack) _social_ Clare is a friendly adult acquaintance to Irene's son Jack, interacting with him during visits to the Redfield home. ### [Zulena](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/zulena) _social_ Clare interacts with Zulena as a guest in Irene's home, treating her with polite but distant familiarity. ### [Irene Redfield](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/irene_redfield) _psychological_ Clare exerts a magnetic, unsettling pull on Irene, mixing fascination with fear and resentment as Clare's presence threatens Irene's carefully constructed life. ### [Irene Redfield](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/irene_redfield) _psychological_ Clare exerts a magnetic, unsettling pull on Irene, mixing fascination with fear and resentment as Clare's presence threatens Irene's carefully constructed life. ### [Jack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/jack) _social_ Clare is a friendly adult acquaintance to Irene's son Jack, interacting with him during visits to the Redfield home. ### [Gertrude Martin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/gertrude_martin) _friendship_ Clare and Gertrude share a past as light-skinned Black women who have married white men, creating a bond of shared secrets and social navigation. ## In the story ### [Passing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/passing) Clare writes to Irene after years of silence, re-entering her life. She is glamorous, daring, and married to a white man who does not know she is Black. ### [Part I: Encounter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/part-i-encounter) Reveals her decision to pass as white and marry a wealthy white man; expresses longing to reconnect with Irene. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/i) Clare's letter is described as furtive and extravagant; Irene reflects on Clare's selfish, catlike nature and her dangerous tendencies. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/ii) Clare reveals her marriage to John Bellew, her childhood with religious aunts, and her determination to escape poverty and pass as white. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/iii) Clare hosts a tea party at the Morgan, wearing a blue dress that matches the room. She deftly manages her husband's racist outbursts with affectionate gestures and gentle reproof, revealing her skill in navigating deception. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/iv) Clare writes a letter to Irene expressing gratitude and hinting at doubt about her own choices, but Irene remains unforgiving. ### [Part II: Re-Encounter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/part-ii-re-encounter) Clare is emotional and rebellious, expressing that being a mother is cruel. She is determined to attend the dance and later becomes a frequent visitor to Harlem, dependent on her husband's absence. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/i) Clare's letter reopens old wounds for Irene; Irene views Clare as selfish and acting, and doubts her sincerity about wanting to reconnect with her own people. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/ii) Clare passionately expresses her longing to be among Black people again, dismissing Irene's warnings about risk. She reveals her loneliness and the impact of her husband's racism, showing a determined, almost desperate side. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/iii) Clare dazzles at the dance in a black taffeta gown, dancing with both white and Black men, including Brian. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/iv) Clare visits often, charming the household, but reveals a rebellious and dangerous side, confessing she would hurt anyone to get what she wants. ### [Part III: Finale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/part-iii-finale) Absent but ever-present in Irene's thoughts; her relationship with Brian causes Irene anxiety. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/i) Clare arrives uninvited to Irene's party, becoming the focus of Irene's jealousy and fear. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/ii) Clare is absent but remains a pervasive presence in Irene's thoughts; Irene wishes for her removal from their lives. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/iii) Clare is the subject of Irene's anxious thoughts; Irene worries about the consequences of Bellew's recognition. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/iv) Clare calls to confirm she will attend the party, arrives radiant in a red gown, and tells Irene that if John Bellew discovers her secret, she would move to Harlem and live freely, held back only by her daughter. ### [Sanctuary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/sanctuary) Clare is a source of tension and danger, her presence unsettling Irene's sense of security. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/chapters/i) Not present in this chapter. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters/clare_kendry - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_39_se/characters