While driving Mr. Norton around town, the narrator wonders how the campus has become a part of Mr. Norton's life. The response Mr. Norton offers is a rather interesting one; as he continues to justify his reasoning Mr. Norton states “I had a feeling that your people we're somehow connected with my destiny. That what happened to you was connected with what would happen to me…”(41).
The way Mr. Norton views the situation is that by helping young African American men get a higher education in order to “succeed”, his future and reputation will be brighter. To the naïve students at the college, Mr. Norton is an invisible man- the young men are blind to his true intentions. The students at the college idolize Mr. Norton and view him as an affluent white man who is giving them a chance at success, despite society's prejudice thoughts. Little do the students know that Mr. Norton is only assisting them to boost his own ego.
At the Golden Day, a veteran makes a statement in which reveals the narrator’s and Mr. Norton's blindness to one another. The vet claims “ Poor stumblers, neither of you can see each other. To you he is a mark on the scorecard of your achievement, a thing and not a man; a child, or even less- a black amorphous thing. And you, for all your power, are not a man to him, but a God, a force-” (95). The veteran's statement solidifies how unaware the students are of Mr. Norton's true motives. Mr. Norton is pretending he cares about the students well beings, while he genuinely views them as charity cases that will determine his “fate”.
When one looks into a funhouse mirror, their reflection is distorted and different from their actual physique. Similar to fun house mirrors, Mr. Norton looks like a successful, genuine man, however, his inner motives do not coincide with his outward appearance.
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ReplyDeleteI like how you pointed out that both men are blind to each other and both of their views are distorted like a funhouse mirror. Mr. Norton expresses interest in the narrator, but ultimately regards him as "a thing" and a means by which to reach an acceptable fate. To students, Mr. Norton is "a God" and an "affluent" white man who has given them the opportunity to succeed, but, just like a funhouse mirror, what they see is not how reality actually appears. Mr. Norton is involved in the school for his own benefit and believes his fate is closely tied with the students' success.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned that, to the students, Mr. Norton is "an invisible man". I agree that the students who attend that college are oblivious to the true motives of Mr. Norton. I didn't realize that the vet was really saying that the narrator was just another "achievement" on Mr. Norton's "scoreboard" and that the vet was basically revealing the truth of Mr. Norton and the other funders of the school. I like and agree with how you compared Mr. Norton with funhouse mirrors and how, even though Mr. Norton appears to be a "successful, genuine man", he really isn't and his motives don't match his physical appearance. This picture relates to the students thinking that Mr. Norton wants the best for them, but Mr. Norton thinking of his true inner motives. https://com322deception.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/nl_cartoon561.jpg
ReplyDeleteYour use of the image to signify Mr. Norton's selfish ego is superb. It shows just how blind of a man he really is. He looks in his own reflection, and sees a man doing good, but he is really just doing it to boost his ego like you mentioned. Also, try to include a real life example to further prove your point as there are many examples throughout history.
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