Du Bois’ Theory of Double Consciousness in “Passing” Anonymous College

In W.E.B. Du Bois’ manuscript The Souls of Black Folk, he explores the social construction of race and the view of racial identity among black folks by presenting the philosophy of double consciousness. The concept which refers to the sense of observing oneself through the eyes of others with the desire to fuse the double self into a better self is also explored in Nella Larsen’s Passing. The character Irene is illustrated as a personification of the notion’s influence in that she possesses twoness due to the conflicting societal identities as mulatto. Du Bois declares that black identity in America is dependent on how black people imagine the white populace perceives them. Irene’s main concern is the security of her family as she is aware of the external racial threats that loom upon an African American household. Hence wavers between racial identifications in order to achieve a safer and better unified identity. As the focus of the story, she is molded by this concept in several junctures in the narrative in both her personal identity and the perception of others. Thus, due to her double consciousness, Irene undergoes racial and identity contradictions influencing her perception of her own identity, others identity and her...