In Nella Larsen's novel Passing, the character Irene is so bothered by Clare that she wishes she would disappear or that something tragic would happen to distract Clare. Irene had become frustrated with Clare, a light skinned African American woman who was living in society as a white woman. Clare's husband was a white racist, and Irene hated being around him. Though Irene tried to avoid her, Clare continued to pursue Irene, wanting to be her friend. Irene's wishes were a foreshadowing of the conclusion of the novel in which Clare falls out of an apartment building window to her death.