Invisible Man Blog Post 1

Grace Mullee

Blog Post 11/13/15

Ralph Ellison chooses to mention the story of Jim Trueblood to show how misconstrued society can be. It begins with the narrator driving around one of the founders of the school, Mr. Norton. The narrator takes him on a drive around the college to buy some time and on the little trip, the two men pass by the cabin of Jim Trueblood, an uneducated black male that lives on the outskirts of the college the narrator goes to. He was a sharecropper that was known for being a “disgrace upon the black community”. (46) The narrator tries not the disclose much information about Jim Trueblood because I think the narrator doesn’t want to give any other excuse for the whites to oppress the blacks. Unfortunately, the narrator ends of spilling the beans about how Trueblood impregnated his own daughter and instead of Mr. Norton being angry, he demands to stop at the cabin. Mr. Norton seems to be curious about what happened and he even asks Jim how he is and if he could be of any help. This scene in the story portrays the irony of how a black who committed a sin gets awarded with money and help, but a black who is obedient and follows the rules gets no recognition, but still has to work hard to obtain education and make an earning. After hearing of Jim’s wrong doings, Mr. Norton isn’t fuming or irritated that Trueblood did receive much punishment, but instead gives him money. Trueblood receives money because he represents the stereotype of a negative black and it proves the whites motives of why blacks shouldn’t be free.