Clare's largely successful attempt to "pass" as white despite her black ethnic heritage is the core of Larsen's novel. In terms of temperament, Clare is dramatic, outgoing, and willing to take risks; after all, she marries and has a daughter with a white bigot, John Bellew. Yet at the same time, Clare is eager to keep her link to African-American society vital. As Passingprogresses, she gravitates to Irene Redfield--who was Clare's childhood friend in Chicago--and immerses herself in upscale Harlem life as an alternative to the affluent white society she once so eagerly sought out.