Thoughts on Irene

One of the things that struck me about Irene was that she criticizes Clare for passing, when in fact, she, too, passes.  Irene draws a distinction because she does not pass socially, but for matters of convenience; she says, “I don’t believe I’ve ever gone native in my life except for the sake of convenience, restaurants, theatre tickets…never socially, I mean, except once” (p. 100).  Irene’s reasoning made me think, because I felt that Clare’s decision to pass was one made for convenience; yes, it’s true that Clare’s racial background is even unknown to her husband, his family and their daughter, but she chooses to pass to gain something that she felt she could not obtain otherwise (or, rather, that it would be difficult to realize the standard of living that she desired).  Are we as readers supposed to judge Clare for her decision to pass?  And if so, should we judge Irene as well?