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Gertrude Martin
Margery is Clare and John Bellew’s daughter. She is a light-skinned young girl who attends school in Switzerland. Larsen never introduces Margery to the reader, but the other characters discuss her frequently. Margery seems to not be a very big part of Clare’s life, but she is referenced often as one of the reasons that Clare cannot leave John.
Margery Quotes in Passing
The Passing quotes below are all either spoken by Margery or refer to Margery. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2, Chapter 4 Quotes
“Children aren’t everything…There are other things in the world, though I admit some people don’t seem to suspect it.” And she laughed, more, it seemed, at some secret joke of her own that at her words.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Margery Character Timeline in Passing
The timeline below shows where the character Margery appears in Passing. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapter 2
...then invites her to tea, where Irene could meet both her husband and her daughter, Margery. Irene declines again, saying she is busy.
(full context)
Part 1, Chapter 3
...Clare mentions she is sorry that Irene won’t be able to meet her daughter, because Margery is staying with friends, but says that her husband John will be back soon.
(full context)
...will not have any more children because she was so terrified during her pregnancy that Margery would have dark skin. Irene is silent. Gertrude empathizes with Clare. She says that, while...
(full context)
Part 2, Chapter 2
...the more reason to take risks. Irene, however, tells Clare to think of her daughter Margery. This surprises Clare, who then says that she thinks motherhood is “the cruelest thing in...
(full context)
Part 2, Chapter 4
Margery, meanwhile, is already back in Switzerland for school, and Clare and John plan on returning...
(full context)
Part 3, Chapter 2
...life, and hopes something will make that day come sooner—even, she thinks, if it involves Margery getting sick or dying, or John discovering Clare’s black ancestry.
(full context)
Part 3, Chapter 4
...that she would move to Harlem to live. Irene asks what she would do about Margery, and Clare responds that if it weren’t for Margery, she would have left John already....
(full context)
...nothing to get what she wants, and thinks that Clare will give up anything (money, Margery) to get Brian. Irene decides she must not tell Clare or Brian about meeting John,...
(full context)
