Visibility

Although the narrator craves to be seen, we see how he reacts to a taste of visibility in Chapter 19. "...I realized she was only a nose-tip away, her eyes upon my face." (414) Immediately after he discovers the white woman's true methods of seduction, the narrator tries multiple times to flee the scene and his shock. He starts to question the woman about her "old man" (415). On page 416 he expresses that he is very close to giving into temptation: "...for if I touched her-". After minutes of internal struggle, he gives in to the woman who seductively lures him into falling to his 'death'. This scene reminds me of the Sirens in Greek Mythology. The Sirens would sing and play music to enchant their sailors to shipwreck on the coasts of their islands. Siren songs can be described as appealing and hard to resist and if heeded, will lead to a fatal outcome.

In respects to the Odyssey, Odysseus was curious to hear the sweet melodies so he had his crew pack their ears and tie him to the mast. Any other sailor with their ears exposed would not have the strength to resists the songs and would have jumped overboard. According to the Christian definition of Sirens, they were prostitutes who led travelers down to poverty and were said to impose 'shipwreck' on them. In this case, the narrator is one of the unfortunate sailors. The songs he hears come in the form of appraisal of his contributions to the movement and to Brotherhood. His embarrassment and shame turn to paranoia when he believes "some important member of the brotherhood" (418) would expose him. This is his fate.