Friday, November 20, 2015
Statue
While the narrator is discussing his time at college, he brings up the bronze statue of the Founder of the college. The narrator is troubled by this statue unable to tell whether the Founder is lifting the veil or lowering it into place. He debates whether he is "witnessing a revelation or a more efficient blinding." (36) Under the surface, the narrator is trying to figure out if this man was really the great so-called "Father symbol" he is meant to look like in this statue. Ellison uses this internal conflict in an attempt to give a voice to all the other "invisible men" society has had to offer over the years.
"Why is a bird-soiled statue more commanding than one that is clean?" (36) Maybe, because a statue that is soiled is a better representation of real life. Statues aren't supposed to be shiny and luscious forever. After awhile they begin to show signs of wear, but what was Ellison's purpose in addressing this question? A soiled statue is usually one that is old and forgotten. This nameless Founder (Coincidence?) may have attempted to have a face in his society back in the day, but as the narrator debates we realize it was a failed attempt with the narrator describing the statue's "empty eyes" as they "look upon a world I have never seen." (36) The Founder of the college had enough impact for society to put up a statue, but he did not have enough impact to be remembered. The narrator is puzzled by this statue because it addresses what he struggles with daily. The ability to have a voice in society, and now due to society the author walks around the world with those same "empty eyes."
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When I was reading this chapter, the quote you dropped at the beginning of paragraph 2 was one that really stood out to me. I love that you found the ""empty eyes" as they "look upon a world I have never seen"" to be parallel to the plot of the story or in your words his "daily struggle". I definitely agree that he, like the founder, is trying to have an impact on others but is continually ignored by those people (ex. when he gives his speech after the battle royal).
ReplyDeleteYour answer to the question posed in the book is an accurate reflection of the purpose of the statue. The fact that the founder was considered sucessful enough to get a statue built in the image of himself, but still remains nameless reflects a false sense of hope for the students attending the college. The statue shows that even though a person is successful, that does not guarantee remembrance and almost contradicts the point of the college because students are attaining an education, but to little to no societal avail. Part of a person's identity is a name and if the founder does not have a name, what makes the students (and the narrator for that matter) think they can sport one?
ReplyDeleteAddressing that the Founder did not have "enough impact to be remembered" was perceptive, as it leads into the idea of the college. The college allows the black men to do something useful, but it will always inhibit them from being great - simply by virtue of it being a 'black college.' While the Founder may have "empty eyes" from a lost dream, some of the students, especially the narrator, do not. They walk the campus with a purpose - to be one of the greats no matter the odds.
ReplyDeleteYour presumption that the soiled statue was had more of an impact because it represented real life is something I could definitely agree with. As well as maybe the Founder really did not have the impact he had yearned and expected and the statue that everyone nonchalantly passes every day does not cause reflection and admiration but rather no response at all. I think this is why the narrator is so intrigued, because it inflects his internal emotions of invisibility, especially when the bird poops on the statue, it emphasizes that invisibility and lack of recognition.
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