Divides

Divides

Taking into account all of the atrocities happening at the gathering of the white leaders, the most sinful part was the blatant inhumane treatment of the black youth. Instead of being spoken to as fellow human beings, the kids were often referred to as the “big nigger”(1.21) or “that ginger-colored nigger” (1.21). The simple fact that these leaders of the community felt it acceptable to use this language that implies a sort of superiority over the black population as a whole displays the complete disregard for respect; all over the color of their skin. It is obvious that although slaves were freed, blacks were still under the harsh hand of the racist white man. The exercising of power persisted when the boys were then forced to gather money off of an electrified carpet. As if the task was not daunting enough, when the already worn out boys were not suffering enough, the white men began to push them face-first toward the electric current for their own amusement. As the men surrounded the carpet and egged on their entertainment, calling out commands like “Pick it up, goddamnit,”(1.27) and  “Get the money!”(1.28), the reader can clearly see that these community leaders were treating the boys like animals; like dogs. The closest thing to this ghastly event is something of that of a dog fight.* People who are in power stand around to watch the dogs viciously attack each other due to the instinct the dog-fighters forced out of them. In an article explaining the logistics of dogfighting, the organization Peta states,  “Dogs who are used for fighting are chained, taunted, and starved in order to trigger extreme survival instincts and encourage aggression,”(Peta).

By taunting these poor black boys by dangling change in front of them, they essentially are bringing out their survival instincts- again, for their own twisted amusement. Primarily, the first chapter is demonstrating the social divide between the races and the power the whites demand to make themselves feel greater than the black population.

*http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/animals-used-entertainment-factsheets/dogfighting-dogs-tortured-illegal-blood-sport/

Blog Post 1

 Early on in the novel, the narrator describes how he feels in the society around him. He feels as if he is an “Invisible Man”. The narrator talks about his grandparents who were freed slaves after the Civil War.  The grandfather tells the narrator’s to keep two identities. The first being the over obedient side, and the second being, the resentment they have towards their master. The purpose of the two identities is to use the over obedient one to gain an advantage over the white people because it is a front, and not their true identity. The narrator believes that instead of faking obedience, he should have sincere obedience to gain more respect. To a certain extent it works, until they take advantage of this by making him participate in the fighting that degrades everyone involved. The boys being blindfolded and the use of masks seem to add to the motif of blindness and not being able to see something, almost like it is invisible.

Ellison uses the narrator’s speech to debunk some of Booker T. Washington’s ideas, in which where quoted in the narrator’s speech. He shows that the successful black business man, is just as vulnerable to the degrading racist remarks and actions taken against them, as the poor, black sharecroppers. This is shown through the narrator and his speech, and the narrator’s grandfather. Washington’s rather optimistic view of white society is shown to be false by these two situations early in the novel. 

A Cry to be Noticed

Self-perception is one of the most influential forms that lead to outward actions. Cultural factors are similarly susceptible in shaping personal image because of the ideal figure one is set on trying to become. The most common form of harmful self-perception is the through racial prejudice and pressure on having specific physical/mental features that society deems ‘invalid’ or lesser than others. Following the theme of this text, it’s almost as if the voices and faces of those who do not bow down to the white man are unheard and unseen, or invisible.

When the narrator attacks the blonde man walking past him whom he bumps and in return the man calls him a derogatory name, the lashing out seems to be more of a call to be heard and not a true act of violence. Similarly, today the same issue is paralleled in the black community. Prejudice and unlawful acts of violence towards black people go wholly unnoticed and unwarranted because they are viewed with lesser importance. “...I thought with sincere compassion, mugged by an invisible man!” (pg. 4) it's almost upsetting that he views himself with such absence.

Real world connections through this piece of literature are most evident and relevant because of their applicability to today. There are still the evident “...ache...to convince yourself that you do exist in the real world…” (pg. 4) feelings of discomfort and hate that black people and other people of color are faced with every single day and are condemned for bringing awareness to. Gratification from attention is always pleasing and accepting but self-perception needs to be influenced by people of support and not those of assimilation.

The Light of the Fight

The narrator of the story is a man of intelligence, who could be much greater than what society allows him to be. He speaks in his own paradoxes that represent the duplicity of the world. He sees his hole as the “[brightest] spot in all New York” (6), simply because it removes him from the presence of racial inequality. No fights, no confrontations, no slurs need occur, so long as he can drown himself in the serenity of solitude and Louis Armstrong. This brightness is well represented as being in the basement of a building “rented strictly to whites” (6). He lives below the whites, in constant racism and oppression, but plans to strike back. His leeching of electricity is only one “covert preparation for a more overt action” (13). These preparations and actions of his had been going on continuously for years, through his physical fighting as a youth. He fought physically in the ring, but only driven the need to fight his oppressors with words. Subconsciously, through the laughter and degradation present during his speech, he tickled the beast by changing ‘social responsibility’ into ‘social equality.’

However, fighting with flare did not always suit his purposes. He knows it is “advantageous to flatter rich white folks” (38) partly because his grandfather wanted to keep the fight going in such ways as [undermining] ‘em with grins” (16). The narrator is a fighter by all means, which coupled with his intellect, makes for a saucy challenger in the social struggles. He realizes his bright potential reflected in his basement, and will fight by all means necessary for him and for race up to the penthouse suite.

The End

"The end is in the beginning and lies far ahead." (6) Why does Ellison decide to include a piece from the end of the book right in the prologue? This is a common strategy used in many books and director Christopher Nolan is also notoriously known to start at the end then go back to the beginning, and see how the story got there. Ellison is using this strategy as a representative of change over time, or rather the lack of it. The nameless narrator changes over time going from being a part of society paying outrageous rates in Harlem; to the invisible man he now is residing in a shut off basement. Society, however, does not change.
This narrator is viewed by the white society as a phantom. After bumping into a man one night, he is called an insulting name causing him to pull a knife out on the man. The failure to put an end to racial prejudice against blacks caused the narrator to act out in a violent way, and ultimately become invisible. The narrator tells us "the end is in the beginning" because society fails to change. History just keeps repeating itself on an infinite loop. White society will always have the power, while the narrator is just a faceless menace. The narrator mentions the "inner eyes" (1) of these people to give the reader incite on how they look at him with the hate that has been developed in their minds since birth. Ellison is trying to connect with people that this is a never ending issue that won't go away unless change is made.

Poetic Invisibility

       The Invisible Man states, “Perhaps I like Louis Armstrong because he’s made poetry out of being invisible. I think it must be because he’s unaware that he is invisible. And my own grasp of invisibility aids me to understand his music”(8).

       Contrary to the Invisible Man’s beliefs, perhaps Louis Armstrong’s music is poetic and raw because he is aware that he is invisible. Prior to the success of his music career, Armstrong was once an invisible man similar to the narrator. Louis Armstrong's poetic lyrics of his hit song “Black and Blue” perfectly depicts the feeling of being invisible- “my only sin is on my skin. What did I do to be so black and blue?” Since Armstrong was a black man, he faced a plethora of hardships, such as not being seen as an equal- especially within his music career.

       Throughout the novel, the narrator emphasizes that he is invisible to society and often refers to himself as an invisible man.The narrator is constantly being overlooked because of the color of his skin and as a result he struggles with self-identification and his life purpose. Being that the narrator accepts the persona of an invisible man, he is putting himself down based on society's perception. Rather than dwell on his invisibility, the narrator should  look at Louis Armstrong as a precedent to break away from society's narrow-minded views.

       During the time “The Invisible Man” takes place, life was an unremitting struggle for black people. Although the color of one’s skin is inevitable, were constantly harassed and abused as the result of prejudices. Louis Armstrong's music, however, instilled a sense of hope through his relatable lyrics within the black community- especially the narrator.

Louis Armstrong did not sulk about being invisible, however, he used his invisibility as the basis for his          poetic lyrics

Changing Mindset

            The prologue depicts a narrator irritated by his metaphorical invisibility; he longs to be noticed and treated with the respect he deserves as a human being. After his violent encounter with a white man on the street, he says "the man had not seen me" (4). He discusses the extirpation of his old life, which was rooted in the "fallacious assumption" (5) of his visibility. It is apparent that Invisible Man has been deeply affected by societal prejudices against him.

            The first chapter delineates a man who longed to attain recognition—a man who did not yet deem himself invisible. He says he "was naïve" (15) to ask others to define his identity. When he fought in the "battle royal" (17), the protagonist constantly thought about how much he wanted to deliver his speech to the group because "[he] felt that only [those] white men could judge [his] true ability" (25). He was too blinded by his scholarship and recognition to be aware of the terror the men had caused with the fighting and electrocution. He proves his naivety because he was blind to the evil the whites exuded.

            Invisible Man seeks to gain insight from others as to what his identity should be in the beginning, valuing the white men's opinions. In the prologue, the protagonist has been battered by society and is ashamed of his previous valuing of white men's opinions. He shows a change in mindset between the two sections, demonstrating the severity of discrimination, which alters the narrator's perception of his own identity.