Clare's Death

The final paragraphs of Passing offer few definitive answers about how Clare fell, where Bellew went, or whether Brian and Clare were in fact having an affair. (Brian's awkward and sentimental reaction to Clare's death, though, seems like a strong suggestion that there was a connection between them.) In light of all this ambiguity, does Passing offer a definitive statement on race relations? Here, a few possibilities arise. Clare's demise serves as a subtle symbol of the costs of turning one's back on a nurturing ethnic community, a tacit condemnation of a life lived under false pretenses.