Passing: The Evolution of Passing Constructs and Motivations in American Literature

Abstract

This work seeks to examine the concept of passing and the evolution of the term as a construct, including the type, motivation, and means, and along with it, the changing significance of passing. This work does not seek to focus on solely racial passing, but instead how passing exists not only as a racial construct, but also in regard to social, cultural, or other areas of passing. While looking at the motivations and in what way individuals utilized passing to take on other identities, this work will also explore historical contributions to these evolving constructs and motivations for passing. Chapters of this work will look at historical events in order for readers to understand the impact those events had on individuals during the periods. The review of these historic events and their impacts allows an illustration of the causes for changes in why people were choosing, attempting, or successfully passing during a set period. This work serves as an exploration into not only the connection between works in American literature and correlating historical events, but also to illustrate that passing does not exists solely as a racial construct; instead, passing exists for individuals who are attempting, successfully or not, to take on a different identity.