"I am an
invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe;
nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of
flesh and bone, fiber and liquid- and I might even be said to possess a
mind."
The narrator clearly is not really invisible: this is not a
sci-fi novel, and he does not possess any magical powers. His references to
invisibility serve to a metaphor for racism. By invisibility, he is referring
to the "peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom [he] comes in
contact". In other words: whites refuse to acknowledge his presence due to
the prejudices that come along with being colored.
The protagonist bumps into a white man on the street, who
reacted by throwing a racial slur at his face. Due to the color of his skin,
the man believed he was both socially and intellectually inferior, despite the
protagonist’s physical superiority. The narrator then attacks the man- only to
demand to be seen.
In some ways, it is settling- being masked by their blindness
enables him to escape the crude insults and attacks that most blacks encounter.
However he is still human and humans yearn for the consideration and affection of
others. The narrator has lost a part of his character through the inattention
of society around him. He desires to be recognized by his individuality
rather than these racial stereotypes. Despite his own views he knows that just
by hearing a racial slur, he may be forced to confront the situation- like the
encounter with the white man on the street. To avoid this, the narrator decides
to create this sense of "blindness" and "invisibility"-
ultimately hiding from the real world.
It is true: humans do crave the attention of others, and may go great distances in order to get it. The invisible man is a pure example of a man who is willing to do anything to get the attention of other humans. This is why he attacks the white man, and also why he uses the electric power without paying for it. One intriguing aspect of his character is how he considers these actions, specifically the stealing of the electric power, "a hibernation" for a "a more overt action" (13). It can be assumed the actions in the prologue are only the beginning of a future involvement in racial issues.
ReplyDeleteI really like where you mention the "peculiar disposition" which serves as an allusion to "peculiar institution". This enhances the metaphor for racism because it shows there is still an inequality between blacks and whites. I also like that you point out his loss of self identity by being shoved into the "racial stereotype box" where equality ceases to exits. This part of the book shows how our history never really leaves us.
ReplyDeleteI love that you noticed that! As soon as I read the word "peculiar", I instantly thought of slavery. The way he alludes to the war on slavery perfectly sets the scene and foreshadows a theme of racism. You are correct in saying that history never leaves us. By using a term from centuries ago and bringing it into a new time period, the author easily proves this.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Staci. Also, it shows that by creating this invisibility, the narrator may even fear the White Man. He will do anything to avoid a confrontation with him, even if it means not sticking up for himself and people of his own descent. While although he is craving for the attention he deserves, he is always contradicting himself in avoiding any kind of attention at all from white people. He does not want confrontation yet becomes involved in one anyway.
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