Blog Post #1 Grandfather

Invisible Man’s grandfather was a slave and struggled after the Civil War. Their family worked hard and the protagonist, invisible man, was brought up this way too. The protagonist explains that his grandfather said “…I want you to keep up the good fight” on his deathbed. He goes on to say “Live with your head in the lion’s mouth. I want you to overcome ‘em with yeses, undermine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction, let ‘em swoller you till you vomit or bust wide open (Ellison 16).” Grandfather is saying to play the system and take advantage of the whites. Invisible man keeps going on with this quote throughout the first chapter. He takes this quote with him and it almost takes him over. The protagonist also explains how he uses this advice as he talks about his great speech that he delivers at graduation. Invisible man discusses “humility” and everybody loves the speech. He is invited to deliver the speech at a dinner which ends up being “battle royal.” Invisible man is implicitly humiliated at this fight, but at the very end of the chapter he delivers his speech. Nobody listens, but he finishes and everyone claps.   He later said “The old man’s words were like a curse (Ellison 17).” The end of the chapter, he has a dream of his grandfather giving him a briefcase and enclosed is a letter that says “Keep this Nigger-Boy Running. (Ellison 33)” It’s obvious that grandfather’s quote will stay with him for a while. Maybe the protagonist is invisible because he tries to take advantage of the whites. He uses the electricity company to brighten his room in the Prologue. He still revels in what his grandfather said almost and uses it and in that becomes invisible.