Who is Irene Redfield from Passing and what is their importance?

Irene Redfield is the wife of a physician. She grew up in the south side of Chicago in a predominately black neighborhood. Light skinned, Irene is often mistaken for being white, something she enjoys using to her advantage by patronizing predominately white establishments. While visiting a hotel, she runs into a childhood friend who is passing, pretending to be white.

Our first impression of Irene is that of a strong, confident woman. As the novel progresses, however, we realizes that Irene and her husband are struggling in their marriage. Irene nixes her husband's plans to move the family to Brazil, something that places a wedge between them. She'd like to believe that her husband is content, but when Clare enters their life, he grows more distant, leading Irene to think that Clare is having an affair with Brian. In order save her marriage, Irene will go to extreme measures without making sure the affair is real.