The Relationship Between Nella Larsen's Passing and the Rhinelander Case

Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography grade: 27 University of Bonn language: English abstract: Passing by Nella Larsen published in 1929 features the issue of racial passing in a society which segregates people of Negro descent from the dominant white American class. Wall claims that Not only is Passing set in Harlem at the height of its vogue it is itself a product of the vogue. Aptly then it acknowledges the opportunities as well as the risks that the more fluid racial and cultural boundaries of the period created. Irene Redfield one of the two female protagonists is able to pass but still chose a life within Harlem and a coloured husband. Her counterpart Clare Kendry on the contrary is completely passing by being married to a white man who does not know about her descent. Still she is highly fascinated by the life Irene leads in Harlem and thus she attempts at leading a double-life. As Clare becomes increasingly involved in the black culture of that time she also has to fear about her husband finding out the truth about her.In order to set the issue of racial passing in a historical and cultural framework I attempt at focusing on the connection between the novel and a jurisdictional case from 1925 called the Rhinelander Case. This case is also being referred to in Passing: What if Bellew should divorce Clare? Could he? There was the Rhinelander case. Furthermore Madigan claims the following: That Larsen has the case enter Irene's mind so quickly however testifies to the Rhinelanders' importance to discussions of miscegenation the law and racial passing during the period of the Harlem Renaissance. Leonard Kip Rhinelander who was from the upper white class of New York got married to Alice Jones who was mixed-raced and from the working class. Rhinelander attempted at annulling the marriage as he claimed he had not known about his wife's race before