Chapter 20
Things have fallen apart in Harlem. It’s understandable that the narrator would feel indignant for any number of reasons.
Tod Clifton is now found. Surely this is another of those important symbols: the dancing Sambo doll. What can you make of it?
-It is grinning.
-It is dancing.
-It is actually under the control of someone, though the strings are hard to see.
-It is “an obscene flouncing of everything human.”
The narrator has some very interesting and deep reflections on the subway after the shooting incident. At the end he says the collapse of all their work had been his fault. Why would he say that?
Chapter 21
The narrator delivers a speech at Tod’s funeral. What do you think of it? Notice also that he knows The Brothers would probably object to it.
Chapter 22
Look at p. 462 (2nd page of the chapter). Here is a conversation with Brother Jack, in which we hear echoes of Chapter 1. Very interesting….
On p. 467, the narrator brings up a good point. “Some would call me a traitor if….” Being a traitor is confusing, and maybe dangerous.
There is an important image/symbol here, too: Jack’s eye.
Jack talks about his eye and equates it with sacrifice. The narrator says something else about it (see the bottom of 475).
As the chapter ends, the narrator knows that he “wouldn’t ever look the same, or feel the same. Just what I’d be, I didn’t know….”
Chapter 23
The narrator puts on a pair of sunglasses and is immediately called, “Rinehart.”
Who is Rinehart? This one identity is actually more than just one.
Does the narrator want to be Rinehart or not?
And what about the worship service—anything interesting about that?
Hambro tells the narrator that some people must be sacrificed. The narrator replies, “Everywhere I’ve turned somebody has wanted to sacrifice me for my good...,”and later, “I was both. Both sacrificer and victim.” I told you—it’s not simple!
And one page later he says that he is agreeing “without agreeing.” Shades of the grandfather. And he admits that he is invisible. Is it at this point that he first decides to celebrate his invisibility?
Chapter 24
It seems a bit ironic (maybe?) that the people the narrator starts “yessing” are not the nameless, evil, white policy makers, but rather people who ostensibly are trying to make good social changes. (Maybe Norton fits this category as well).
How does the narrator “yes” the Brothers?
Discuss the scene involving Sybil. There’s a lot there to talk about. And I think it’s OK to say there’s some amount of humor in that scene, too. Talk.
Chapter 25
What’s happening in this chapter? What’s the cause of it, do you think?
How guilty is the narrator?
Discuss the narrator’s identity/[in]visibility during the riot.
Where does the narrator end up at the end? Any significance to that?
What is significant about using his papers for fire?
Epilogue
A lot of deep stuff here. He wraps up, but of course, it’s not that simple.
Also consider his meeting with Norton. What are we to make of it?
Overall:
Well…? What do you say? Are the critics’ comments on the cover accurate? What would you say if asked to put a comment on the cover? ET CETERA.
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Chapter 20.
ReplyDeleteThe dancing Sambo doll represents the narrator. The strings on the doll aren't visible kinda like he doesn't know he's being controlled. The narrator is smiling, dancing, and carrying on as though he's fine. However this doll represents the narrator and how he is being controlled by the narrator. He's being restricted of his own way of thinking and acting. It's kinda like the short story "Doll House". They are controlling him because one, he's allowing it, and two because he wont stand up for himself. They want everything about the Brotherhood to appear peaceful and perfect just like a 'doll's house'.
Chapter 21.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator gives a great speech at Tod Clifton's funeral. He is angry and has every reason to be. Those cops had no right to take his life, but we had to know as reader's that it was coming. The narrator points out how even those people gathered there to mourn his death are just going to go on living and brush his murder off gently. That is something he is not willing to do and I agree with him. He speaks about how Clifton "struggled for the Brotherhood". I agree with the narrator in that his speech wasn't political at all. It was different to me and I liked it. The members of the Brotherhood would not approve because it's something that he did for him. He organized the funeral because he was a true friend to Clifton. They definitely would not approve nor be happy.
OVERALL, this book is intense. I agree with the crtics to a certain extent. It's not all of that but it does represent alot of things. This book demonstrates the identity crisis that many African Americans faced. I would say that "Invisible Man is an interesting narration of a black man's struggle to find acceptance and bury his socially insecurities".
ReplyDeleteCh20 Q2
ReplyDeleteThe Sambo is the narrator. The narrator like the doll appears happy where he is at in the Botherhood, but in reality like the doll he is being played with like a pawn in someone's game of chess.
CH22 Q4
ReplyDeleteAgain another reference to blindness and invisiblity. The narrator now realizes that Bother Jack does not see him as a person or an equal to him, but a tool to sacrifice to the Brotherhood's agenda.
Ch 23 Q2
ReplyDeleteRhinehart is a reverend. I don't think the narrator really wants to be Rhinehart. He doesn't want to play all of the roles in society like Rhinehart. He just wants to be himself and not have to act or be someone he really isn't.
Chapter 20 Response:
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to go into how the Sambo doll is symbolic because that's a gimme. But what gets to me about this incident is how when the cops come near, Clifton runs away with the dolls. It's like the knows that it's wrong to control them but loves to do it, so he goes away with them...perhaps like the Brotherhood with the narrator? Later Clifton is shot in the head, this definitely foreshadows what is to come.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteChapter 22 Response:
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter, I think that the most significant image is Jack's eye. I love how Ellison threw this in there. In the beginning the narrator talks about how his eye "popped out" during the fight...hmm...correlation?! Both of them seem to be in struggles, both within the brotherhood and within themselves. Jack also talks about how he says what they tell him to say (Sambo doll) and do what they tell him to do (Sambo doll). This also reminds me of what Bledsoe said about how the whites don't need to be asked but told.
Chapter 25 Response:
ReplyDeleteThis chapter, hands down major intensity level. Especially the hanging mannequins. It's ironic that the author chose mannequins also, because they are plastic people that can be posed to do or be anything/anyone, as was the narrator and those under the Brotherhood's control. How in the world can the people of this town be clueless enough to not thing RAS IS CRAZY!!! The man is riding around on a horse in the middle of a riot?! Sound sane to you?! I think not!
Book Response:
ReplyDeleteOk, so I give the book as a whole a 2. Then end, I didn't like how it was written, dry and dull. The story itself was interesting, and I liked all of the imagery, but I mean honestly?! Come on Ellison, I think you can do a little better than this. I thin Jazz has it right, INTENSE. The End.
Chap.22 Q4: The narrator states at the bottom of the page that sacrafice and blindness is the definition of discipline. This is kind of ironic, that to be disciplined you have to be blind. If you are blind then why really must you discipline yourself? You haven;t set eyes on sinful things, there isn't a color issue, nothing of any sightly worth can tempt you. I believe that if you were to be blind, you wouldn't need as much discipline.
ReplyDeleteChap.24: Sybil, Sybil, Sybil (shakes head while saying). What an interesting woman she is. To ask to be raped. Is she crazy? - no wait - it is obvious that she is. So he leads her to his loft wishing to extract secret information about the BH from her. After finding that she knows nothing, he begins to get her, and himself, drunk. One thing leads to another... and lipstick is being used to write that Santa has raped Sybil. What? Are you kidding me? What the heck does Santa have to do with it? This scene confused me at this point and it was really one of those train wreck kind of things where you don't want to look but you can't pull your eyes away. Lovely really.
ReplyDeleteChap.25: A huge riot is happening in this chapter. Cops are firing and thefts are being made. The black men are forming a new "Brotherhood" in which they are causing big waves. They are using bricks as their speeches and black men as their leaders. (Something I believe is totally appropriate considering that this is a band of black people fighting for black rights!) The scene is caotic but truely wonderful. It actually kept me interested!
ReplyDeleteThis book was insane. I don't believe I have ever - and I mean ever!!! - read a book that has been such a tough read. It was honestly the worst but almost best thing that I've read in a while. It was so deep and complex that I had to put it down, step away from it, and digest everything before reading any further. This was slightly annoying, but it really made me think; I can appreciate a challenging brain-tugger of a book every now and then. The themes and issues in this book are very intriguing (I do believe I spelled that wrong) and for that reason solely (and because the great Mr.Poynor made me) I chugged my way through the book to the final "you?". Yes, I know, I'll take a bow and the applause is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteahhhh
ReplyDeletehurrah! i got it to work.
ReplyDeleteanywhoo, *ahem* now to Ch. 20 Q1:
I found the bit with the dancing sambo doll to be very interesting. There's a mess of things you could make out of it and it's meaning. What struck me first was the fact it was grinning, which made me go back to the grandfather's original words "undermine em with grins, overpower em with yeses" (don't think that's the exact thing he said but you get the picture). Basically, the sambo doll is supposed to be the epitome of what the grandfather told his grandson (the narrator) to do. But what's most powerful is the fact the doll is a doll and being controlled by strings. Also, the part about Tod Clifton being the one behind the dancing doll is something I didn't quite understand at first. If you think about it, however, it makes sense in the fact that Clifton is a Brotherhood member and thus he is controlling the doll. The part about not being able to see the strings is great too, because for the longest time, the narrator cannot see that he is being controlled. As for the dancing of the doll, I think some way or another this refers back to the whole message of "who's keeping who running?" When the narrator sees Clifton with the sambo dolls, I think it is an eye-opener for him, and for the first time, he has solid evidence that the Brotherhood is not all that it is built up to be, at least in his mind.
Ch 24:
ReplyDeleteHaha! Ah, breezyb makes me laugh but in a nutshell she covered everything there is to say about sybil. I mean, heck yes, the woman obviously has lost some marbles! One too many glasses of wine and the brain cells start to go... anyway, one bit i would like to build off of is the santa thing. It is definitely eccentric for the narrator to drag jolly ole saint nick into the whole "rape" scene, but it is so ironic that it makes sense. Santa, in his commonly depicted character, is white. White! And sybil, crazy fool, wishes to be raped by a black man. Not just that, but a young, strong, smooth-talking black guy such as the narrator! How ironic that said narrator would leave a message for her saying she was raped by an old fat white man. enough said? methinks so.
Ch 25:
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a significant image when the narrator uses his papers for fire. It's his whole life, from the time he arrived in Harlem up until that point. His past and history, all his identites, going up in flames! In order to see the light, he must destroy all that he has become. Nothing like starting over new. In a big way, this really is the start of a new beginning, second chance, for the narrator. He no longer has this briefcase of burden to carry around, reminding him of how invisible he is. Different ID's, names, and not a one with which he can relate. They are his main ties to invisibility. I don't think it changes the big picture so much, in the idea of being invisible to others but moreso, it fixes the idea of the narrator being invisible to himself. When he burns the papers, he sees himself for the first time in a while.
Overall:
ReplyDeletecrazy mess! i mean seriously, ellison is a little loopy. Not in his mind, maybe, but in his writing style, at least a little. I get he is a sort of tortured artist, having been through a lot in his lifetime and I give way credit to the man for wanting to tell his story and preserve the history and culture of African Americans. I respect him for that. But forealz, no amount of respect is EVER going to make me read another one of his books by my own freewill. I agree with Brook in the sense that it was a challenging read and sometimes I like that about it. Other times (which was most of the time) not so much. I agree with Christina also in the rating idea, because Mr E definitely wouldn't want me to rate his book in any scale. Jazz made a good point when she said that the critics have basically covered it all. Those people know what they're talking about and when you read their critiques, it's interesting to see all the deeper meanings and representations Ellison was getting at in his novel. All in all, I liked the idea of the book and what it stands for. Next time, I vote we read something more like Dr. Seuss!
ch. 20:
ReplyDeleteOk, so I'm not going to talk about the Sambo dolls because somehow that just seems way to obvious. Everyone else will I'm sure discuss them and thinking about attempting to nitpick at the countless ways that that whole scene is symbolic and meaningful makes me feel kind of tired and want to give up before I've even begun. Sooo I shan't. =]
Moving on, I thought the narrator's reaction to Clifton's death is interesting. He is more concerned with why Clifton was selling the Sambo dolls than with his death. His friend just died right in front of him and all he is concerned with is Clifton's "plunge outside of history". The narrator feels that the Brotherhood is the only way for him or Clifton or any other black person to be a part of history. This desire in itself is absurd and unhealthy and ends up getting him in trouble. He is preoccupied with being remembered in future years when even if he became famous, it is inevitable that eventually he will be forgotten. He also doesn't seem to understand that you don't have to be famous to make a difference and that just by simply existing you change the lives of others.
ch. 23:
ReplyDeleteI would just like to say probably my favorite word from this time period is "racket". Hehe it makes me happy whenever I read it or hear someone say it because it makes me think of like 1920s gangsters in pinstripe suits and their awesome hats and those ridiculous guns with the giant circular part and talking with their New York gangster accents saying things like "racket" and "dollface". =]]]
Anyways, Rinehart definitely has a racket =] going. I thought it was kind of funny how in a matter of blocks the narrator went through like 3 or 4 different Rineharts. And wouldn't you think the people that knew Rinehart the pastor would have ever like went a block over and seen or heard someone talking about Rinehart the bookie or something? And to answer the question "does the narrator want to be Rinehart?"- yes and no. He definitely enjoys being Rinehart at some points during his walk and he wants to be Rinehart in order to escape Ras's men. But, he definitely feels Rinehart is a bad guy and it upsets him that he could trick the people like this and be so many different men to different people. Then, at the end of the chapter the narrator comes to the conclusion that the narrator needed to be like Rinehart and give Harlem hope like they wanted.
ch. 24:
ReplyDeleteSybil definitely made me laugh. "boo'ful" hehe. This would be a very funny scene to watch in a movie. Especially the part where he puts her in the cab and like turns around and she's running after him calling "boo'ful". Haha. And wow. It takes someone with legitimate issues to ASK someone to rape them. I love that the narrator sees the sad humor in the situation and pokes fun at her without her noticing.
I can't decide whether I liked the book or not. I liked parts of it, and others not so much. Compared to some of the stuff we've had to read in other english classes it was definitely more interesting. It was a thinker, but I like books like that.
ReplyDeleteAnd, like Sam, I feel we should read Dr. Seuss next!....hey his books are pretty deep. quite full of symbolism.
Chapter 20-21
ReplyDeleteThe Sambo Doll represents how people can be controlled by others without even knowing it, just as the doll is controlled by invisible strings. The Doll is grinning, which reminds me of what the grandfather said in the beginning of the novel. After the shooting, the narrator can’t fully grasp what has happened. He still can’t seem to get over the fact that Clinton was selling the degrading dolls. I liked what the narrator said at the funeral. He realizes that at first people will be mad about how Clinton was killed, but once the shock wears off, people will soon forget and go on with their own lives.
Chapter 23
ReplyDeleteI thought that it was very symbolic that the narrator could put on a pair of sunglasses and suddenly lose his identity. That goes back to the whole invisibility concept because people aren’t really seeing him. At first the narrator likes being mistaken for someone else who seems to be very popular. But after he is stopped for the fourth time, he starts to get annoyed. He doesn’t want to be associated with a guy who is obviously lying to a lot of people about who he really is. I agree with what Katy G said about the narrator realizing that if he wants to make a difference in Harlem he will have to be like Rinehart. It’s interesting that to help others he will have to alter his personality.
Chapter 24:
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely my favorite chapter :) I thought that the Sybil "situation" was quite funny. What kind of person wants to be raped?!? What's even funnier is the fact that the narrator goes along with it. This guy has an interesting taste in women. I think that "boo'ful" is my new favorite word!
Like Heather and Katherine said, Rinehart at first represents the freedom that the narrator hopes he could have. Rinehart is able to have many different identities throughout Harlem. In a sense, Rinehart embodies the invisibility that the narrator struggles with through the novel. Rinehart is able to become all these different people because he is also invisible to the people around him. Katherine made the comment that it was unrealistic to her that the members of the church would have never gone an extra block and would have neverseen Rinehart the pimp or Rinehart the gambler. Most likely, they did go the extra block and they did "see" him, but they chose not to truly see him. In my opinion, Ellison includes this to show that no one is exempt from becoming invisible. Rinehart is only a preacher to those of his congregation. Outside of church, he is invisible to them. I think this also happens with his other roles within the community. I think Rinehart is significant to the narrator's understanding of his position within Harlem, as well as within the Brotherhood.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of Chapter 25, the narrator ends up in the bottom of a coal cellar with nothing but a few matches dropped by the police and his briefcase full of papers. In his attempt to get out of the cellar, he must burn all of the papers in his briefcase. The documents start with his high school diploma that was given to him by the whites at the beginning of the novel. He also burns the paper given to him by Brother Jack with his new name. Both of these papers are given to him by whites and have been seemingly insignificant since he received them. It is quite ironic that in his attempt to save himself he must literally burn his ties with the whites of his past. The narrator tries to burn Clifton's doll but it is difficult to burn. It seems like this fits the pattern, as this item is from one of his black friends. I think maybe just enough of the doll is burned so that it is incapable of dancing as before. This would represent the further breaking of the the ties between the narrator and the whites.
ReplyDeleteThe scene with Sybil is a bit surprising. I mean, the narrator goes into the situation hoping to take advantage of her and learn information about her husband's plans. Then after getting her drunk, Sybil practically begs him to rape her. Although everyone else seems to think that Sybil's actions are that of a crazy woman, I think maybe there's some reasoning behind her actions. Sybil's husband constantly ignores her, as his duties with the Brotherhood take up a tremendous amount of his time. Then Sybil has to sit and listen to the experiences of her friends, while she herself remains completely cut off from the world. By having the narrator with her, Sybil sees her opportunity to finally "live" a little. The "savage" black man before her seems the perfect fit for the rapist in her fantasies. The fact that Sybil has issues is apparent, but I just think that asking the narrator to "rape" her is simply her way of getting attention from the people around her. I think maybe she too is suffering from the invisibiliity syndrome because she is unseen by everyone around her.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with Heather that the doll was symbolic of how someone can be controlled without even knowing that it is happening. Also I think that the doll is a reflection of the main character and his place in society.The speech that the main character gave a the funeral was very powerful and motivating for the people to contiue to fight. I feel horrible for the main character,because he has just lost a best friend, and you can tell that he is angry about it. Also I agree with what Heather said about the funeral speech.
ReplyDeleteThe scene with Sybil was interesting and thanks to Heather I had a huge heads up that it was coming. I can't beleive that this women actually wanted to be raped by the main character. Who in their right mind wants that??!!Also I thought the it was funny that the main character handle the situation very awkardly. I can't believe that he wrote on her anyway this novel is kind of sick and twisted,but funny at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the book was ok,but i don't think that it was wonderful. From a literary view it was great and the content of the book was very deep and symbolic throughout. Also The Invisible Man is a important African American view of history and shows the struggles they went through. Wasn't a huge fan of the book because it seemed like a bunch of stories that just happened to be in the same novel.
ReplyDeleteChapter 20: The dancing Sambo doll actually ends up representing the narrator. The narrator is being controlled by the leaders of the Brotherhood to do what they want him to do. He may not be aware of their controlling of him, which is why he gives the appearance of grinning all the time. The narrator believes he is doing good, but in reality the Brotherhood is using him to play out a part in their plan of destruction. Also the narrator allows other people to define him and make him invisible just like how he judges the doll and puts it away in the briefcase to become invisible to him until later on when he burns it….representing him riding the mask and identity that he allowed everyone else to give him.
ReplyDeleteChapter 22: Jack’s eye reminds me of Mad Eye Moody in the Harry Potter series. Mad Eye’s eye allowed him to see through Harry’s invisibility cloak. The narrator is “invisible” allowing other people to define him. He decides to kill the Brothers with his yeses and to basically play the part of the traitor, yet Jack sees right through him. Jack seems to know the narrator and the type of person he is better than the narrator himself.
ReplyDeleteEpilogue: The narrator’s meeting with the Norton at the train station is really ironic. When the two first met in the beginning Norton claimed that the narrator was his destiny and that the narrator’s destiny defined Norton’s life. After everything the narrator has participated and seen he may be seen by Norton, but the memory of the narrator is invisible. If the narrator was the by product of Norton’s founding in the school…well then maybe Norton should have invested his time and money into something else. This is the closure of the narrator to his old life, he has fulfilled someone else’s identity now he must find his own.
ReplyDeleteYEAH! ITS OVER! its been said a bunch but the sambo doll shows how the narrator and other brothers are the puppets of the committee and they are made to "dance". it appears that their actions are their own, but further inspections shows it to be a larger controlling force.
ReplyDeleteSybil is great. i love drunk women who asked to be raped and then set a schedule for it. ;)moving on to Clifton speech. IT WAS GREAT! finally some backbone in this guy. he went out on a very shaky limb but damb he pulled it off. and screw the brotherhood. who cares what they think
ReplyDeletei love how he figures out that jack wrote the warning letter. how cool is that. and him goin pyro on us shows his crazy in the moment side. thats where he thrives. he does best off the cuff even though it was certifiably crazy! im not sure i like how he fell in the hole and was like...hmmm nice place to live. Im debating whether or not i like the book overall. it has good parts but some are just boring. the jury is still out on that one
ReplyDeleteWow. That was a crazy ending. I hope we get to discuss these chapters in class because I'm still a little confused at some of the main points conveyed in this novel. It has officially come out that the Brotherhood took advantage of the narrator; they only used him because if his skin color. They were able to manipulate and transform him into what they wanted. Jack even admits that the narrator is to say only what the Brotherhood tells him to. For this reason, the narrator symbolizes the Sambo doll he sees Clifton selling. The Sambo dolls are grinning, dancing puppets, controlled by it's owner. This sounds exactly like the narrator. He jumps when the the Brotherhood says jump, delivers the message they tell him to deliver, and studies the "scientific ideas" that they demand him to study. Similarly, the narrator acted the same way under the townspeople in chapter one, Norton, and Bledsoe. Yet, the narrator thinks that because he is out fighting for peace for black people, he has changed from his obedient ways. But he hasn't. He is still in search of his true identity and confused about what he really wants. The Brotherhood tricked him, just as Bledsoe did. It is ironic that they are "his" people, claiming to want what's best for blacks.
ReplyDeleteSybil seems absolutely crazy to me. I don't even think in completely understand her purpose in this novel, and I'm sure she has a greater meaning, but here's what I noticed: Sybil uses the narrator to try to fulfill some dirty sexual fantasy. She takes the common stereotype of black men and applies it to the narrator, even begging him to "beat her," calling him "big black bruiser." This is very ironic because the narrator chose Sybil to seduce and gather information on for his own benefit, yet Sybil turned out, not realizing the narrator's intent, and tries to use him for power. It appears that she is neglected by her husband or doesn't get the attention she needs, so she is going after the narrator. It's like she wants power, but at the same time she wants the narrator to overpower her. She desires to be wanted and craved, and even calls herself a nymphomaniac. Maybe the narrator gives her the equality she wants, which is also ironic, since he is black.
ReplyDeleteRinehart is a man of many many identities. His role in the novel confused me a little. He never even appears in the novel, but his name is very recognized and distinguished, and even stands for some symbolism in the novel. When the narrator puts on a pair of glasses to disguise himself, he is approached by a woman who calls him "Rinehart" and addresses him as some sort of gambler. Later the narrator adds a hat to his wardrobe and is approached by a prostitute who tries to make him a deal for the evening. He almost gets in a fight in a bar, where he is known as "Rinehart," but is recognized as "Reverend Rinehart" when walking down the street. Don't these people converse and see Rinhart's many identities? Or do they not care? What's the deal? I think the narrator senses this and is envious that he not able to have the same freedom and mixed identities as Rinehart, and still be popular and liked by everyone. Perhaps Rinehart's purpose is to symbolize the many identities the narrator is missing out in by not even having one. Or his purpose could be to show the narrator the fake life he is living by not having a true identity, one that really represents who he is and what he wants. Hmmm this he is a very ambiguous character; I hope we can discuss him more in class.
ReplyDeleteThe sambo doll represents the narrator because the narrator is pretending to be happy just like the doll is grinning. The doll is dancing just like the narrator is acting just like others want him to. The narrator is also under the control of the white man. The narrator isn’t being treated as a human and is rather being treated like a trained dog.
ReplyDeleteI think the narrator says the events that have transpired have been his fault because he refused to see the truth behind the brotherhood.
I thought the narrator’s speech was very strong in that the speech came from the narrator’s heart rather than a script. It was due to this fact that the narrator knew that the brothers would not approve since they weren’t happy the last time he spoke from his heart.
ReplyDeleteRinehart is a member of the community who apparently looks like the narrator when the narrator puts on shades and a hat. Rinehart has more than just one personality though, in the community he is a part of a fraternity like group, he is a player and he is a reverend. The narrator doesn’t want to be Rinehart because he doesn’t want to use people just for the brotherhood’s ends.
ReplyDeleteAt this point the narrator decides to use his invisibility to his advantage by yessing the brotherhood to their own destruction by following his grandfather.
I agree with everyone. The sambo dolls were obviously the narrator. All this time he has been smiling a fake smile and dancing to whatever commands are thrown at him. The way Clifton died seems to symbolize the whites treatment of blacks injustice a few moments. They were brutal and used excessive force to suppress black people. I'm not sure if he is upset about the Brotherhood falling apart or not. He has to realize that they were merely using him for their own personal gain, but in a way he seems to feel responsible for what happened to a lot of their members. With his speech, the narrator seems to want everyone to remember Clifton and what he truly live for. In doing so, he seems to enrage the people there about Clifton having his identity stripped from him. It is as if the narrator wishes for them to remember Clifton, not him.
ReplyDeleteI think that Jack's false eye alludes to the image of blindness that has popped up so often in this novel.I think that Rinehart is someone who the narrator knows. Rinehart seems like someone who does a lot around the community, but he is truly "invisible" to some in what he does with other people. How can one be both a pimp and a reverend? I loved the reference to his grandfather. The traitor reference seemed to sum up a lot of the book, and explain the narrator. He is acting the part of a spy, but now he seems to be doing something.
ReplyDeleteI knew the Brotherhood was up to no good! They gave power to Ras in order to get him to incite violence that would ultimately destroy him. The narrator knew that everyone but he was blind to the Brotherhood's treachery. He knew that he could stop it, but nobody would listen to him. He realized that his grandfather Was wrong about being able to "yes" them to death. I did find it odd when Sybil came into the picture. I did not quite understand that part. I also am curIous as to what was intended by Norton being inserts into the end of the book. Why did he forget the narrator? Did he really mean anything to Noton, or was Norton just a mad old man? I hope that we can clarify things in class. This book is very deep, perhaps a bit too deep, and I feel like I may have missed some of the symbolism that I should have recognized.
ReplyDeleteI think that the doll symbolizes the narrator and maybe even the others that worked for the brotherhood. The fact that it's smiling could show how oblivious the narrator to what is happening to him. The strings that can barely be seen stands for the fact that he can't see how he's actually being controlled. I think the flouncing shows that I think everyone feels like they're under the control of someone or another and they flounce around trying to get out from under that person.
ReplyDeleteI think the narrator's speech to the people at the funeral is one of his best ones. He doesnt seem to care what the audience will think after he's done which is different from all of his other speeches. Earlier he was always worried about whether he did a good job or not but I think the shock of what happened changed him. Well of course the brotherhood doesn't like this because he didn't make the audience think what they were supposed to think by the standards of the brotherhood, he just didn't care and he was still powerful and made a difference which I think scares the brotherhood.
ReplyDeleteThe Sambo dolls symbolize the narrator in a way. He is like a puppet for the brotherhood. They have control over him that he cannot see just like the strings on the dolls that cannot be seen. Also the dolls are grinning and dancing, they are being to put on a shops again like the narrator by the brotherhood. Clifton drops one on the street and the narrator begins to crush it but instead puts it in his briefcase. They way Clifton dies could reflect how white people are the suppressors of black people. The police were very violent with Clifton like how some white people have been to black people in the past.
ReplyDeleteRinehart is a man of many identies. When the narrator puts on the glasses a woman comes up to him and she asks if he is Rinehart. The narrator then puts on a hat and more people call him Rnehart. A prostitute addresses him Because she thinks he is her pimp, another woman thinks he is Rnehart. I think the narrator enjoys being Rinehart because he still hasn't found his true identity. I think the narrator kinda wants to be like Rinehart in the way that so many people recognize him but also that he has so many different outlets and he doesn't have just one identity.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator meets Norton again in New
ReplyDeleteYork and asks if Norton remembers him. Norton does not and the narrator said that he was his destiny. I think this is very weird because in the begging of the book Norton tells the narrator to tell him what has become of him after he graduates or leaves the school because he feels the students are his destiny because he gives money to the college. The narrator somewhat think it is important that he tell norton of what has become of him because he asked. However it furthers his thinking that he is invisible because norton does not remember him.