The narrator receives a plethora of hints about the truth of society, but he refuses to acknowledge it. A vet in the Golden Days calls the narrator a “walking zombie” because he believes in the “great false wisdom taught slaves and pragmatists alike, that white is right” (94-95). Later, when the invisible man spots him on the train, the vet instructs him to “learn to look beneath the surface” (153). He cautions the narrator to stay away from “Mr. Nortons” (156) and to enjoy his new freedom. The narrator is clearly being warned not to trust selfish people, but he ignores the vet's advice. The narrator wants to link himself with the college because he still believes in the Founder and the white citizens there. Even though he has a whole new taste of freedom in New York, he is fixated on returning to the college.
The narrator was also told, by his grandfather, to “live [his] head in the lion’s mouth” (16) and always agree with the whites, although it may be traitorous to his race. Mr. Bledsoe executes this by pleasing the whites in order to maintain his position of power. He is “willing to have every Negro in the country hanging on tree limbs by morning” (143) to remain president of the college, but under the mask, Mr. Bledsoe despises white citizens. Even though the narrator realizes how corrupt Mr. Bledsoe is, he still trusts him and his letters of recommendation. The narrator clearly is naïve until he sees tangible proof. When he reads the letter, it changes how he thinks about the world; he is filled with vengeance now. The advice he acquires warns him against the traps of deceptive people, but it is futile because the narrator learns through experience instead.
The letter incident is a good experience for the narrator. He has too green an outlook on life. Especially since he is an African-American boy, his life is not going to be as easy as he thinks. He goes to Harlem believing the men will give him a job simply because he has a good letter of recommendation, not realizing the other factors going into the bosses' considerations. Life in New York City is not easy; it is difficult and competitive, with many people applying for the same job with better qualifications. If the narrator continues this naïve way of thinking, then he will be very disappointed in how society treats him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the way you depict Mr. Norton. When the vet from the Golden Days warns the narrator to stay away from people like Mr. Norton, he truly means that the narrator should distance himself from people who only look out for themselves. Although Mr. Norton's contributions to the college built exclusively for black students are generous, he is only doing it to build up his reputation. This is exactly why he relies on the success of the college's students to determine his own success. I wonder how Mr. Norton will feel if he finds out that Mr. Bledsoe dismissed the narrator. Doesn't the narrator's expulsion equate to Mr. Norton's failure?
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