When the narrator arrives in Harlem, he encounters
brutal reality. Prior to leaving, Bledsoe tells him “instead of uplifting the
race, [he has] torn it down” (140). The narrator enters Harlem with the hope
that he will attain a job with his “hand of high trump cards” (163) provided generously
by Bledsoe. He does not.
Instead, the letters contain
directions to make the narrator’s leave from the college “as [painless] as
possible” (191). Bledsoe also tells the narrator before he leaves: “after you
win the game, you take the prize and you keep it, protect it; there is nothing
else you can do” (143). This philosophy ends up being the very thing that triggers
a downward spiral in the narrator’s hopes. Bledsoe’s position is his prize and he
protects it, sending the narrator away with the hope that returning to the school
is possible. He has no intention of providing the narrator with further
education.
Bledsoe’s attitude
toward the narrator shows a similarity to Iago’s treatment of Roderigo in Othello. Through his sealed letters,
Bledsoe gives the narrator a false sense of hope, feigning concern for his
success. Iago proves to be a maniacal character and feeds false hopes to
Roderigo, like a possible future with Desdemona. Though Iago lies to nearly the
entire cast of characters in Othello,
he uses Roderigo as a means to an end, feigning concern for Roderigo’s desires.
The narrator says everyone “seemed to have some plan for [him], and beneath
that some more secret plan” (194). The same can be said for Iago and Roderigo. Unaware
of deception and the falsity of their hope, both Roderigo and the narrator are manipulated by men who crave power. |
| Just like Iago telling Roderigo to "put money in thy purse" has underlying meanings and motives in Othello, the letters Bledsoe gives to the narrator in Invisible Man are also not what they seem to be. |
I love your connection to Othello. I definitely agree with the fact that Iago "feeds false hope to Roderigo." Just like Roderigo unaware of Iago's true motive, the narrator was oblivious to the ulterior motive that Bledose had. Bledsoe wanted to get rid of the narrator and ensure that he still had power over the students in the college. This is similar to Iago using the characters of Othello to make sure he rises to the top in the end.
ReplyDeleteI really like your connection to Othello. Dr. Bledsoe is very similar to Iago because of their empty promises. They both make empty promises to hopeful people. Iago and Bledsoe seem to only care about their own needs. They are willing to take down whoever they need to remain on top.
ReplyDeleteJust as the prize to Rodrigo is Desdemona, the unattainable prize to the narrator is his place in the world. Both Iago and Dr. Bledsoe feed off of whatever their prey has to give. Roderigo has money. The narrator had naught; therefore, he was expendable. I really enjoy this connection because it paints Dr. Bledsoe as a true villain. Before this, I had seen Bledsoe as a corrupt man who was hungry to maintain his place in a white dominated society. Now I see him more as a soulless manipulator like Iago. Without regard for any people but themselves, the only difference between Iago and Bledsoe is the time period. Men who have had power always crave to hang on to it at any cost.
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ReplyDeleteI also like your connection. Iago and Mr. Bledsoe will do whatever they need to do to stay in a postion or move into one. They trick and manipulate people to get what they want. These powerful people don't care about others and as Austin mentioned Mr. Bledsoe becomes an evil, soulless man.
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