The Children and Inherited Knowledge

Passing (Nella Larsen Edition)

This flow follows the Redfield boys as their parents disagree over whether children can be protected from racial and sexual realities.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Boys at Home The Boys at Home from "Passing". The Boys at Home Different temperaments Junior resembles Brian in appearance but shares Irene’s practical determination.

The Boys at Home from "Passing". The Boys at Home Different temperaments Junior resembles Brian in appearance but shares Irene’s practical determination.

The Boys at Home Different temperaments Junior resembles Brian in appearance but shares Irene’s practical determination. Theodore seems more reflective and avoids unpleasant conflict. A family mirror Irene reads the boys through their parents’ traits. Her descriptions reveal how strongly she expects family character to follow recognizable patterns.

Clare Meets the Sons Clare Meets the Sons from "Passing". Clare Meets the Sons A carefully framed introduction Irene presents Clare to the boys as an old friend from childhood.

Clare Meets the Sons from "Passing". Clare Meets the Sons A carefully framed introduction Irene presents Clare to the boys as an old friend from childhood.

Clare Meets the Sons A carefully framed introduction Irene presents Clare to the boys as an old friend from childhood. Clare asks permission to join them, while Theodore answers with a pointed independence. Affection crosses generations The boys become drawn to Clare, especially Theodore. Her place in the household now involves more than Irene’s friendship and threatens the boundaries Irene tries to maintain.

A Dark Son Named A Dark Son Named from "Passing". A Dark Son Named Irene rejects color fear When Gertrude and Clare describe fearing dark children, Irene states that one of her sons is dark.

A Dark Son Named from "Passing". A Dark Son Named Irene rejects color fear When Gertrude and Clare describe fearing dark children, Irene states that one of her sons is dark.

A Dark Son Named Irene rejects color fear When Gertrude and Clare describe fearing dark children, Irene states that one of her sons is dark. Her statement breaks the room’s assumption of shared prejudice. Race enters the family The exchange makes the children’s appearance part of a wider social anxiety about ancestry. Irene’s own household is not outside the color hierarchy it may resist.

The Lynching Question The Lynching Question from "Passing". The Lynching Question A child asks why Theodore asks why Black people are lynched, prompting Brian to answer that white people fear them.

The Lynching Question from "Passing". The Lynching Question A child asks why Theodore asks why Black people are lynched, prompting Brian to answer that white people fear them.

The Lynching Question A child asks why Theodore asks why Black people are lynched, prompting Brian to answer that white people fear them. Irene tries to prevent the conversation from continuing. Childhood meets reality Brian insists that the boys need to understand the danger they face. The exchange reveals that Irene’s wish for a happy childhood cannot make racial violence disappear.

The Future Left Unseen The Future Left Unseen from "Passing". The Future Left Unseen No later account The novel ends before showing how the boys respond to Clare’s death or their parents’ distress.

The Future Left Unseen from "Passing". The Future Left Unseen No later account The novel ends before showing how the boys respond to Clare’s death or their parents’ distress.

The Future Left Unseen No later account The novel ends before showing how the boys respond to Clare’s death or their parents’ distress. Their futures remain outside Irene’s broken narration. Inherited uncertainty The boys have already encountered racial insult, parental disagreement, and household tension. Their unresolved future extends the novel’s concern with what children can know and what adults conceal.

During the first weeks after Irene returns to New York

During Clare’s first visit to the Redfield home

At The Morgan, during Gertrude’s account of pregnancy

The evening before the Freelands’ party

After the final party, beyond the novel’s ending