Women’s Dilemma In Passing From The Perspective Of Nietzsche’s Tragedy Theory

Passing is a novel which is written by an African American female novelist Nella Larsen.She had produced only two novels and some short stories all through her life. Passingarticulates a protest against ethnic discrimination. Nella Larsen shares the similar familybackground with the heroines of Passing. As one of her two novels, Passing is granted with amission to speak for both the writer and those who are trapped into the same dilemma. NellaLarsen uncovers a desperate tragedy of a mulatto who secretly gives up her ethnic identity,and thus suffers a lot from hesitation to return to the black community and guilt which comesfrom her sense of belonging to the major society by cheating. While most of the scholars haveillustrated this story by deciphering the identical codes which entangles with ethnicdiscrimination problems, this thesis tries to analyze the text from Nietzsche’s estheticperspective on tragedy. Clare and Irene are both trapped into dilemmas caused by their skincolor. Clare passes for white successfully while Irene maintains her original race seemingly.Clare is overwhelmed by Apollonian and Dionysian Spirits. Thus her life swings between themainstream materialism and mulattoes’ hidden aspiration for returning to their originalcommunity. The other heroine, Irene, who has never passed the racial boundary on the surface,adopts the whole value system of the whites. Different from Clare’s choice, Irene insists onkeeping her true ethnic identity as an African American. Her indifferent attitude towardClare’s passing, which eventually leads to Clare’s tragedy, is actually a kind of hatred towardthose people who are brave enough to trample on the racial segregation. It reveals theDionysian performance in Irene’s life. Disillusionment of Clare’s dream interweaves withIrene’s jealousy toward Clare. Clare and Irene cannot find resolution to their dilemmas. Theirdestruction can be taken as desperate protests against the prejudiced society. The Apollonian Spirit and the Dionysian Spirit are in constant confliction and occasional coordination. Howto balance these two impulses is a key problem for people who want to achieve individualsatisfaction in their life.This thesis contains three parts, apart from the introduction and conclusion.The introduction provides background information about Nella Larsen as well as literaryachievements produced by scholars and critics on Passing both at home and abroad.Chapter one presents the origin of Apollonian and Dionysian Spirits and their applicationin tragedy appreciation. Nietzsche is the first one who gives a specific definition of aestheticvalue of Apollo and Dionysus in his renowned piece The Birth of Tragedy. Apollonian Spiritrepresents something related to order, restriction, rationality and intellectuality. But DionysianSpirit symbolizes the instinctual passion, intoxicated self-indulgence, irrational performance.The explicit illustration on the symbolic meaning of the Apollonian Spirit and DionysianSpirit helps to understand Clare and Irene’s behaviors in relation to the basic impulses oftragedy. Clare’s pursuit of a wealthy life and Irene’s insistence on ethnic identity areperformances of the Apollonian Spirit. Clare’s indulgence and Irene’s insanity areperformances of the Dionysian Spirit.Chapter Two explores Clare’s life from angle of Apollonian Spirit and Dionysian Spiritrespectively. Clare struggles to live in both the Apollonian life and Dionysian life. Thematerial fulfillment, which symbolizes her pursuit of Apollonian life style, cannot relieve hereagerness of returning to her original race. She is getting more and more enchanted with thethrilling feeling when she stumbles into the ball held in an all-black community. When Clareis overwhelmed by the Apollonian dream and the Dionysian ecstasy, her dilemma is inevitableand her death is doomed.Chapter three probes into Irene’s profoundly hidden intentions in the development ofClare’s tragedy and the causes of Irene’s malice from Apollonian and Dionysian perspectives. Irene acts differently when she is trapped into the same dilemma with Clare. She can stillmaintain her dignity as a light-colored mulatto and seek for her Apollonian happiness in theseemingly peaceful marriage and life. But what she thought she could handle perfectly beginsto collapse when Clare intrudes into her life. Since she is jealous of Clare’s caprice, she getsintoxicated with the darkness and ugliness of Dionysian spirit. When she is totallyoverwhelmed by such a kind of irrational delirium, she manipulates Clare’s death.The Conclusion reaffirms the statements of this paper, and reminds the readers that theinterconnectedness of the primal urges and the rational nature is present in all human beings.Apollonian Spirit and Dionysian Spirit, as two totally different attitudes toward pain, play animportant role in our life. The terrible ending of the novel reveals the irresistible conflictsproduced between the Apollonian restraints and the Dionysian primal urges. Tragedy inPassing reinforces the idea that these two elements in human nature are inseparable. Onlywhen a temporal balance of the Apollonian Spirit and the Dionysian Spirit is found in life canhuman beings live their lives contentedly and happily.