Irene Redfield

Clare Kendry

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

Irene and Brian are married, but their relationship is strained by Brian's restlessness and Irene's rigid control over their family's stability.

Gertrude Martin

Gertrude is a childhood friend of Irene and Clare, sharing a bond of mutual history but also tension over racial passing and class.

John Bellew

John Bellew is Clare's white husband, a racist who unknowingly insults Irene and Clare's racial identity, creating a tense, deceptive acquaintance.

Hugh Wentworth

Hugh is a white writer and friend of Irene's, offering a sympathetic ear and a bridge between Black and white social worlds.

Jack

Jack is Irene and Brian's younger son, a source of maternal concern and domestic routine for Irene.

Zulena

Zulena is Irene's maid, a servant who represents Irene's domestic authority and class status within her household.

Theodore

Irene is mother to Theodore, but their relationship is more distant and formal compared to Brian's warmth with the boy.

Margaret Hammer

Margaret is a social acquaintance of Irene's, part of the elite Black community Irene navigates with careful propriety.

Clare Kendry

Clare exerts a magnetic, unsettling pull on Irene, mixing fascination with fear and resentment as Clare's presence threatens Irene's carefully constructed life.

Clare Kendry

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

Irene and Brian are married, but their relationship is strained by Brian's restlessness and Irene's rigid control over their family's stability.

Passing

Irene receives Clare's letter, reflects on their past, and recalls their reunion at the Drayton. She is cautious and values security, feeling uneasy about Clare's risky behavior.

Part I: Encounter

Reflects on childhood memories of Clare and feels both fascination and irritation at their reunion.

I

Irene receives and reads Clare's letter, feeling apprehension and recalling past humiliation.

II

Irene reunites with Clare at the Drayton, shares details of her married life and family, and feels conflicted about Clare's past and present.

III

Irene reluctantly visits Clare, feeling manipulated by Clare's persuasive voice. She struggles to contain her rage at Bellew's racism and feels a protective, yet conflicted, allegiance to Clare.

IV

Irene receives and destroys Clare's letter, feeling humiliated and angry. She resolves to avoid Clare in the future and worries about Brian's restlessness.

Part II: Re-Encounter

Irene feels responsible for her children's security and tries to convince Clare not to take risks. She is annoyed by Clare's persistence but ultimately agrees to take her to the dance.

I

Irene is disturbed by Clare's letter and recalls the humiliation she suffered in Chicago. She resolves to avoid Clare and struggles with her husband's discontent.

II

Irene reluctantly consents to Clare's request to attend the dance, feeling guilty and angry with herself for giving in. She reflects on Clare's selfishness and the potential complications, while also grappling with her own need for security and her suspicion of Clare's depth of feeling.

III

Irene reflects on the dance, feeling dowdy next to Clare and uneasy about Brian's attention to her.

IV

Irene feels ambivalent about Clare's frequent visits, resenting her intimacy with the children and servants, yet unable to voice her discomfort.

Part III: Finale

Struggles with her desire to be free of Clare and the burden of race; decides to conceal her meeting with Bellew to maintain control.

I

Irene is the protagonist, experiencing anxiety and jealousy over her husband's attention to Clare.

Chapter II

Irene is tormented by suspicions of an affair between Brian and Clare, and wrestles with the burden of race and her desire to be free of Clare.

Chapter III

Irene meets John Bellew on the street and fails to warn Clare, feeling oppressed by foreboding and guilt.

IV

Irene admits to herself that Brian and Clare have had an affair, and resolves to keep her marriage intact at all costs. She argues with Brian about protecting their sons from racial knowledge, and later feels paralyzed by dread when Clare speaks of freedom.

Sanctuary

Irene is anxious and protective of her family's stability, feeling threatened by Clare's intrusion into her life.

I

Not present in this chapter.