The Narrator's Lack of Development and Deja Vu in Invisible Man
In Invisible Man we see the narrator go through multiple changes throughout the book, most notably his huge turnaround from trying to please the white man at any chance he can get, to what we know him as at this point in the book, which is a speaker and protestor for African-American rights and equality. Yet, I think that the narrator hasn't learned nearly as much as he thinks, as his naivety is still prominent in his everyday actions. He still faces racism in his everyday life in the North, yet he does not recognize it past the more obvious types.
He still holds on to some of his dark, racist past, but not in the same way that Brother Tarp does. Brother Tarp has a shackle from when he broke free of slavery, to serve as a reminder of what he's been through. He gives the narrator this shackle, offering him similar advice to the grandfather when he cautions the narrator to never become too complacent about his freedom. However, the narrator doesn't really think much of it, and more sees it as a father handing down his watch to his son, rather than recognizing it's true importance. The narrator also keeps a memento from his racist past, but not as a reminder of what he's been through, rather as something he is proud of accomplishing, in the briefcase he won from the battle royale. He continues to use this briefcase, not thinking much of it, but this briefcase should signify more to the narrator rather than something he won. He carries around this object of racism alongside him everywhere he goes, which shows that he is still very blind and naïve to the racism he faces.
Another example of the narrator's blindness to racism is his encounter with the white woman. In the South, the racism in this scenario would be significantly more blatant, as the white woman wouldn't want to have anything to do with the narrator because of his race, but in this scenario in the north, racism takes a much more subtle approach. We see the white woman being very nice to the narrator, interacting with him, listening to him, admiring him, and even sleeping with him. Yet, this is not because she sees him as equal, more to use him as an object for her own sexual fantasy. She calls him "primitive" which is obviously related to his race, which shows the reason she's being so nice to him is just to get with him.
The brotherhood is also an example of some underlying racism that the narrator really fails to recognize. That is until they betray him in the most recent chapters. The brotherhood's underlying racism was even exposed by Ra's the Exhorter, yet the narrator decides he doesn't want to listen to him because of the opportunity he's been given by the brotherhood. This is oddly similar to when the narrator shuns the ideas that the vet at the Golden Day gives him, showing he hasn't changed as much as he thinks. This is sort of a deja vu moment, just one was in the south, and now it is in the north. The brotherhood doesn't let the narrator celebrate his individuality which makes the narrator more invisible. Brother Jack just sees the narrator for his race, which is why he hired him in the first place. The narrator is just an object he uses in order to advance the brotherhood's goals. The narrator fails to realize that this is the case for a while, but he eventually realizes. This is similar to the Bledsoe situation, with the narrator blindly following somebody because they gave him an opportunity, and finally his eyes being opened to the harsh reality that these people never really cared about him at all. This gives another sense of deja vu.
The narrator still has a lot to learn during his time in New York, despite his misconception that he has progressed into a complete individual. He has learned a lot, don't get me wrong, but he doesn't realize that he is still naive to the racism he is faced with. We see this through these deja vu moments in which something oddly similar to something that happened earlier on in the book happens again. However, the narrator is slowly becoming more and more aware, which will eventually lead him to his room full of lights.
-Teo Chemla
Hi Teo, this is a very well-written summary that highlights the lack of character growth in the narrator as well as common reoccurrences throughout the novel. I think that Ellison's use of irony is quite prevalent throughout this novel, especially in the depiction of the narrator seemingly thinking that he has grown quite a bit as a result of the racism he faced in the South, yet he is still carrying many racist objects, which you mentioned, with him in the North. In this, Ellison points out how little our protagonist has grown, at least, in regard to how casually he misses the subtle racism that practically coats the air around him. I really like your mention of the moments of deja vu in the novel! This was something that I have been noticing a lot as well. We see our narrator's experiences from the South be replicated in the North, , like your mentioning of his treatment of the vet and Ras. I also have noticed the narrator to be slowly morphing into characters that he came across in the beginning of the novel, such as Rev. Barbee. This was a great blog post!
ReplyDeleteHi, I think you did a great job of chronicling the narrator's development throughout the novel as well as the many times he thinks he's changed for good but we as readers are a bit more skeptical. The narrator can't truly leave behind his past in the South because he literally carries that baggage with him. So every time the narrator thinks he's finally seen the real truth and he's no longer kept running, it's someone else who's keeping him running while also making him think that he's finally free. Good job on this post!
ReplyDeleteHey Teo, I think you did a great job clearly laying out instances in Invisible Man during which the narrator remained blind and subject to the oppression present in his surroundings. I would agree with your statement that the narrator is still naïve, despite thinking that he's grown more accustomed to the inner workings of society, however I do think that he is progressing into a more aware individual. I especially like how you brought up the briefcase as a metaphor for the racism the narrator continues to carry with him; Ellison does a great job maintaining subtlety yet still conveying his ideas through this metaphor.
ReplyDeleteHi Teo, great post! I agree with your point that the narrator still is sometimes unaware of racism he faces. Despite the narrator’s developing invisibility it is clear that his vision for these things has still not improved much.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great discussion of how the narrator blindly trusts people sometimes until he is able to realize his true invisibility. There are so many instances of deja vu and I am glad you brought it up. The narrator is constantly changing and I do think that he makes progress throughout the book, but I do agree that the narrator naïve. Great post!
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