The school board sends the narrator to a college where the "generosity" of whites is glorified to set the narrator's mind as one of an Uncle Tom, set on pleasing and following the word of the white man, allowing whites to stay on top and blacks to remain repressed. Norton believes that if he can transform the lives of a few blacks and prove to the nation that blacks succeed in civilization, then he will be recognized as a hero: "you are my fate" (42). However, does he truly care about the state of the black people?
Like Norton and the narrator's high school board, Sybil uses the narrator for her own benefit. "Beat me, daddy -- you -- you big black bruiser" (522). Her perversion is similar to the "jungle fever" that characterizes "Brown Sugar"**. Her fetish for black rapists dehumanizes black men and allows the narrator to question the meaning of the Brotherhood's white members' contributions. If they all care so much for blacks, then why do Sybil's desires oppose the entire Brotherhood's basis? Why is the narrator subject to racial profiling?
Whether done for pecuniary interests or sexual fantasies, the white people of Invisible Man only tolerate blacks if they are receiving something. The exception to this pattern is Brother Jack. He starts out as a concerned, relatable activist, but eventually reveals that he uses the narrator only to incite a spirit in the people of Harlem which can be applied to effective protests. However, what is the reasoning behind Jack's willful sacrifices and contributions to the advancement of black people?
The Rolling Stones seemed to attempt to put out a song that embraces black women. But, the song turned out to be a misogynist, racially insensitive, yet popular mockery of black women.
The dehumanization of black people (whether for good or bad) is a constant thread throughout the novel. To play Devil's Advocate, do you think that perhaps the whites in the book know of their own perversions? Do they themselves consciously understand the consequences of their white-minded actions. There is a fine line between aid and avarice: that line is walked the duration of the novel. It is interesting to see that almost all black people who are taken advantage of, realize it! They know the ignorance of the whites even if the whites are incapable (or simply do not want to) to see it themselves. Just as the Rolling Stone's song has good intentions but plays out unfortunately, so do the white players in the novel. They seem to do good but in fact do the opposite.
ReplyDelete