To Be Secure.

     "Security. Was it just a word? If not, then was it only by the sacrifice of other things, happiness, love, or some wild ecstasy that she had never known, that it could be obtained?...to her, security was the most important and desired thing in life" (Passing by Larson, 107). Towards the end of Passing, Irene Redfield questions her need for security. She has realized that her husband had been cheating on her with one of her friends, or more, acquaintances. In this part of the book, Irene battles between what she knows is true (that her husband is cheating on her) and what she wants to believe is true (that her husband is being faithful and she's just being paranoid). The latter leaves her secure and leaves her life in place which, I believe, is exactly what she wishes would happen.
     As I was reading this, I knew what she was feeling. I've been through the same dilemma in my head. Truly, it's the classic "should I stay or should I go?" argument that so many people have with themselves so often. Once you do the same thing for so long, it becomes hard to imagine life without it. You become secure and, honestly, who wants to loose their security? I know, as I realized that I had been cheated on in one relationship and my emotions had been essentially cast aside in another, that no matter how horrific the thing that your significant other did, it is still a hard decision to end the relationship. It's easy to be secure, and to stay secure. It's not easy to rip that security blanket off yourself and be left exposed and empty. To say the least, it's a huge change in any one's life.
     However, Irene Redfield did not leave her husband. She kept her mouth shut and continued in her daily life, though her happiness had essentially been taken from her. Even when she stared the woman that her husband had had an affair with right in the face, she kept her mouth shut. I know that no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn't have been able to do that. I would have had to say something and, whatever did happen to come out of my mouth, I'm sure it wouldn't be nice. The book ends with Clare Kendry, Irene's husband's mistress, falling or, possibly, being pushed out of a sixth story window. After Clare is gone, Irene still stands by her husband. I figure it must be because of her children; I would never be able to do that, but I also don't have children to take care of. The closest comparison I can make is if somebody tried to take my dog, Josie, from me. If it was between keeping her and staying, or losing her and leaving, I would have to consider everything down to the last detail. Most likely, I would stay, just like Irene. I suppose it just shows that everyone has priorities in their life and that these priorities truly define the path you take.