The period around the year 1929 was marked by instances of racial segregation against black Americans. During this time, a variety of novels were published regarding the issue of racial discrimination in the United States of America. The novel Passing by Nella Larsen revolves around the story of two women; Clare and Irene, who are biracial hence can easily pass for either black or white, but unfortunately, they have to make a painful decision of passing as whites to enjoy the privileges associated with being white. This shows that being white or black is not a matter of your skin color, but the ideology is formed around how people perceive black people. Therefore, race is a provision of social construction based on particular actions, conventions, and behaviors associated with black people.
From the novel, treatment of individuals in common places such as hotels is done based on racism. This explains why Irene, on meeting Clare at the rooftop of Drayton hotel, she is afraid of her identification as a Negro as this can make her be injected from the hotel. To be able to acquire equal treatment, Irene is seen to be completely ignoring her identity as a black person and only starts reinventing herself on her talk with Clare. Therefore, we can conclude that, based on how other people treat a person of a different race, race is a product of social constructionism.
Also, in the novel, we can see race being constructed based on immorality. Clare claims that though her blackness is flimsy, over the years, she has suffered the consequence of bankruptcy and discrimination highly associated with being black. To start with, Clare’s father was seen as a disgrace resulting from the relationship between her grandfather and a black woman. When Clare’s father died, Clare went to live with her aunt not out of love but out of the exercise of her Christian duties. At her aunt’s place, Clare underwent slavery and was also forbidden from mentioning anything to do with Negro. This is because the relatives saw their brother’s relationship with a black woman as an unforgivable offense. However, on leaving for Chicago, Clare was able to dispose of the past and, even for a moment, forget she was black.
Hence, based on one’s environment, the race is constructed according to the perception people have on people of a different race.
Besides, the ideology around race stems out from various opportunities exposed to one race, which are different from the other race. This means that continually people tend to view some races to be more superior to others. For Clare, her passing for being white was primarily attributed to the fact that many opportunities were available for white people than for black people. She clearly explains that she did not cross the racial border since she hated being black, but because she never wanted to remain weak. Therefore, race is socially constructed based on how society designs various systems for a different race.
In conclusion, we can say that race is a product of social constructionism rather than a natural appearance. This means that race is formed from different ideologies and perceptions that we develop on people from a different race. In this novel, for example, the race is socially constructed based on the disparate treatment that is given to blacks, the association of morality with black people as well as differences in systems built for a different race.