INVISIBLE MAN BY RALPH ELLISON CHAPTERS ANALYSES.pptx

Analysis of themes

1. INVISIBLE MAN CHAPTERS: SUMMARIES & ANALYSES

2. PROLOGUE Summary In the prologue, the narrator introduces himself as the Invisible Man. He justifies that he is invisible because others choose not to see him. People do not or have decided not to see him, they often crash into him. The Invisible Man feels bitter about this treatment. He feels the worst part of being invisible is that he has started to doubt his own existence. Retaliating becomes a way to prove his actuality; it forces others to notice and acknowledge him. The narrator recounts a past experience had had with a white man on a street at night. The man had rudely knocked him down. The narrator grabbed the man and demanded an apology.

3. Instead of apologising, the European insulted the Invisible Man leading to a more tensed and more aggressive encounter. The Invisible Man head-butted the whiteman, kicked him and was about to cut the man's throat with the knife he pulled out of his pocket when he suddenly stopped with the realisation that the whiteman had never even seen him since he was invisible. He left the scene with many conflicting feelings. The narrator calls the white man and other people who do not see him as sleepwalkers. They have chosen to remain oblivious of his existence and, like sleepwalkers, often become violent if awakened. Hence, the Invisible Man realises the power of invisibility, he does not have to live by the rules of visible people. He learns how to fight back without waking the sleeping people. He refers to the amount of untraceable electricity he steals from the Monopolised Power Company and his rent-free abode, an abandoned basement. He refers to the basement as a hole in which he is temporarily hibernating. Without the light he steals, he is not able to see himself.

4. The basement is warm and well illuminated from 1,369 burning lights, which run on stolen electricity. He explains that to feel shapeless, to be invisible to oneself, is to feel dead. He delves into the reasons why he takes the electricity. He begins to speak metaphorically of how the light represents the truth, especially the truth of his existence. He thinks that if he can shine enough light on himself, perhaps others will see him and he will no longer be invisible. He is assertive and hopeful that he can solve his dilemma. Moreover, while stealing was once his original goal, he finds that now he needs the light to confirm his existence to himself. Next, the narrator explains his need for sound. He enjoys Louis Armstrong's "What Did I Do to be so Black and Blue" and recounts a time when he used to listen to music and smoke marijuana. Marijuana, like invisibility, creates a different sense of time for him. He believes this awkward sense of time accounts for the beauty of Armstrong's music.

5. He metaphorically compares Armstrong's use of an offbeat time sense to that of an underdog champion fighter. When one learns the opponent's regular rhythm, one may take advantage of predictable rhythm. The narrator describes his experience of being under the influence of marijuana. What follows is a drug-induced summary of his significant life experiences, the basis for all the chapters to follow. It is a story of his early innocence, his eventual disillusionment, and his recent revelation about his own identity. He tells of his mental return from his drug-induced state and how he realizes the power of music, which demands action from him. He resolves not to smoke any more marijuana, since it inhibits his drive to take appropriate action. When he figures out what to do, he does not want to be prevented from doing it. He further defines his current period of hibernation as a stage of preparation for the action he will soon be ready to take.

6. Like the musician who makes visible the sound of music by writing notes on a page, he will make himself visible by writing the sound of his voice in notes on the pages of a book. In closing the prologue, the narrator responds to those who would call him irresponsible. He points out there is no one to whom he can be responsible. People must identify him in order for him to have any responsibilities. He mentions the whiteman with whom he fought and notes that, contrary to the readers' likely opinion, he is irresponsible for this encounter. He could not reason with a man who refused to acknowledge him. He continues in a tone of confession that he should have been a responsible person and killed the white man to protect others in society from his unconscious wrath. Thus, he says there is truth in calling him irresponsible and he commences with the telling of his story.

7. Notes The Prologue is narrated in first person and in present day. The narrator introduces himself as the Invisible Man, presenting himself as both a character and as a theme. That he is a character is self-explanatory; he is telling a story of events in his life. His status as a theme is a more abstract assertion. His invisibility is symbolic of the fact that the United States, structured as it is in its economic and social racism, gives him no identity. The novel is his search for identity. One of the prominent themes introduced in this prologue is the loss or denial of identity and its impact on both the individual and the group. Individuals get their sense of identity from sameness, or affiliation, to a group of like people. The sense of belonging to a social group or groups is an important part of personal development. The Invisible Man presents a problem for this development pattern. He belongs nowhere. While the novel is his personal odyssey for identity, it is also a social commentary.

8. The Invisible Man represents the position of the black in society. In his crucial concept of invisibility, Ellison is likely drawing from W.E. B. Dubois’ notion of double consciousness. For Dubois, blacks cannot attain a true sense of self-consciousness while living in a racist country. They see themselves from two points of view simultaneously -- from their own eyes and from the contemptuous point of view of the white majority. Ellison takes the notion of double consciousness and complicates it, looking at it from many different angles. The Prologue and the Epilogue frame the events of the novel, but both take place sometime after the events of the main novel. The distance between the body of the novel and the framing chapters allows the narrator to comment on his story as if he has had the time to reflect and ponder the significance of the events he relates.

9. Additionally, the narrator in the opening and closing of the novel speaks from a position of maturity and revelation; the events in the middle have already happened, and the beginning and the end comment on what has been learned from those events. Ellison’s novel is fraught with symbolism, some of which is introduced in the prologue. Invisibility is the obvious symbol, one that will come up again and again. But there is also the symbolic “hibernation”, the narrator’s life in the hole. His hole represents imprisonment, for the narrator feels he is held prisoner by his lack of identity and by the society that refuses to see him. Many times in this section and throughout the novel, the Invisible Man will speak of spring and coming out of the hole. The analogy is clear and simple, one that speaks of oppression and triumph, of death and rebirth. Again, this section is written with perspective; the narrator has had the time to reflect on his life and believes that he will eventually make it out of hibernation.

10. He believes the events he will tell and the lessons that come from them will someday, somehow, make a change for him and for the world. One of the more interesting ideas presented in this Prologue is the basis for the written story. The narrator reveals that for him the act of writing is an exercise in affirmation. Since he is invisible, he writes down his life so he can have evidence that he actually exists. This confession provides an immediate and urgent justification for the novel. The reader is alerted to the extreme importance of the story about to be told and listens with greater attention and heightened suspense to the events the narrator shares.

11. CHAPTER 1 Summary The narrator begins by telling of his search for identity. He has always gone to other people for answers about himself. His search has led him to the conclusion that only he can answer the questions about his own identity, for to others he is invisible. He does not, at the start of this narrative, know who he is. He is confused and seeking. The narrator’s search begins with a recollection of his grandfather, a slave. He had often been ashamed of his grandfather; he believed the old man accepted a separate but equal philosophy. When his grandfather was dying, however, he spoke of his philosophy; they were the words of a covert warrior whose goal was to destroy the enemy through seeming agreement. He told his grandson to pass those words on to the next generation. This enigmatic confession and request puzzled the Invisible Man, who was warned by other adults in the house to forget what his grandfather had said. The narrator explains that the memory of his grandfather's words became a source of apprehension for him in his dealings with white people. He learned, however, that meekness was, indeed, the way to progress.

12. The narrator found that his compliant behavior often earned him many opportunities, the most recent of which was the opportunity to give a speech to the echelons of white society--the town leaders. Before giving his speech, the narrator was asked to participate in the evening's entertainment. He accepted reluctantly, thinking it might detract from the seriousness of his presentation. He and the other black participants were asked to dress in boxing attire. They were then led into the room with the white leaders. The narrator was shocked to see the prominent men of the town nearly all drunk. He was even more shocked to see a naked blonde woman standing among the young black men, who hung their heads in fear. Although the narrator experienced conflicting emotions, he could not help but look. He found the girl beautiful, but he felt violent towards her at the same time. When the music began to plan, she started to dance, causing more of a stir. The black participants experienced great fear as the white men taunted them about the woman.

13. The drunken white men then began grasping at the woman. She tried to remain calm and graceful, but they started howling and chasing her. The narrator recognized terror and disgust on her face, similar to that which he felt. Finally, some of the more sober white men helped her escape from her predicament. Now hysterical with fear about what was happening to them, the black participants were ordered into a boxing ring and blindfolded. Although they did not want to fight each other, they were forced to do so by the white men, who told them they would be beaten if they did not fight. The narrator felt terrified, especially with the blindfold in place causing total darkness. The town leaders began to taunt and insult the young men with name-calling and threats. Finally, the blacks responded and began to strike one another. The more the young black men fought each other, the more the white men became excited. The narrator began to receive a beating. Although he felt he was losing his dignity, he could not escape.

14. Then the narrator found himself left in the ring with one other man, the largest of them all. The others arranged for him to be left behind to take the final beating. He tried to negotiate with the larger man, but the man was insistent upon beating him and winning the fight. The narrator grew desperate, ironically still worried about how the outcome of the fight would affect his speech. As a result, he began to fight more ferociously, determined to win at all costs. He then heard a voice in the crowd shouting in favour of the larger man; the narrator, struck by insecurity, hesitated for a moment. He next found himself coming to consciousness. His waking thought was for his speech. The boxing ring was wheeled away and a large rug was placed on the floor in its place. Gold coins were thrown on the rug, and the young black fighters were told that this was their pay for the night's work. As they sought the money, they discovered that the rug was electrified for the amusement of the white spectators. After the white men grew tired of such merciless

15. entertainment, the narrator was finally called upon to give his speech, a version of Booker T. Washington's Atlanta Exposition. When the narrator used the phrase "social equality," he was made to correct the phrase with the more acceptable words of "social responsibility." When his ordeal was finally over, the narrator was awarded a leather briefcase. Upon opening the briefcase, he found he had been given a scholarship to the State College for Negroes. Because of this award, he was not too upset to discover that the gold coins collected from the electric rug were only brass tokens. For once, the narrator feels he is not haunted by his grandfather's words. As a result, he can sleep soundly; ironically, he dreams about his grandfather. They are at a circus, but the grandfather will not laugh at the clowns. The grandfather tells him to open his briefcase and look in the envelope. The narrator obeys, only to find one envelope inside another, and another. He becomes tired of opening envelopes. When his grandfather instructs him to open a particular one, it says, "To whom it may concern...keep this nigger-boy running." It is a dream he will have over and over in his life, but at the time he does not know what it means

16. Notes The narrator has an identity crisis and longs to find out who he is. He begins to write the book as a journey of self-discovery. The first chapter of the novel is a flashback to a time that the narrator is much younger than in the Prologue. He is just out of school and optimistic about life and his own abilities; he is also intelligent and ambitious, but innocent and naive at the same time. He begins his narration with a memory of his grandfather, who had always seemed to him like an “Uncle Tom” figure--the accommodating, obeisant black servant content with his inferior social status. On his death-bed, the grandfather shattered the image his impressionable young grandson held; he told the boy of his hatred for white people and his strategy to destroy them by pretending to agree with them. He advised the boy to do the same. The narrator next reflects on the time he was asked by the town leaders to give a speech to them. First, however, he was expected to participate in their entertainment. During this gathering, Ellison develops several striking

17. symbols for his broader themes of the novel. The first symbol is one of lack of power and fear, as reflected by the naked young woman, surrounded and dominated by men. The narrator realizes that she is a spectacle--that the groping, staring, leering men shame and embarrass her. He senses that she is uncomfortable and resistant to her role, but she is powerless in the face of such a large and powerful group. The narrator is torn about how to regard her; he feels sorry for her, but he is also unable to look away from her. As he looks into her hollow eyes and feels her discomfort, he is sympathetic to what he thinks is her fear and resulting submission to the larger group. But the narrator is also gripped with fear and cannot help the young woman. The symbol of the woman helps the narrator to understand the importance of power and control in establishing an identity for oneself. In fact, he realizes that power is everything; without it, one is helpless and naked, like the woman. The fear the narrator experiences is heightened when a blindfold is placed over his eyes. Ellison uses this blindfold as the first of many metaphors about the narrator’s blindness to truth and reality. Throughout the novel, as he becomes more and more disillusioned by his experiences and loses his naïveté, his blindfolds are ripped away; by the end of the novel, the narrator can see clearly and is able to fight against his oppression.

18. During the course of the novel, however, he struggles blindly against reality, just as he struggled in the blindfolded boxing match; both struggles are degrading to him. The whites are also degraded by Ellison; he offers a damning portrait of their cruel and oppressive behavior, as seen in the treatment of the naked white woman and the young black men. They bask in their power, laugh at their own cruelty, and escape from the realities of life by drinking excessively. The young narrator is totally shocked to see such behavior, for he has always foolishly regarded the white man as worthy, especially those in positions of power like the town leaders. The dream at the end of the chapter is significant. The narrator dreams of his grandfather, a significant influence in his life, especially after the deathbed command. In the dream the grandfather points to a particular envelope for the narrator to open. Inside there is a message that says, “Keep this nigger-boy running.” Through much of his life, the narrator feels he is made to run by the powerful whites who surround and oppress him. He is writing the book to show who has learned to quit running.

19. CHAPTER 2 Summary His days at the Negro college offer many experiences for the narrator to recount. He remembers how he often fantasised of forbidden places, such as the road to the insane asylum. He recalls the nearby prostitutes, in whom he saw great sadness. He also remembers the perplexing statue in front of the school. It was of a father figure holding a veil halfway over a slave's head; one could not be certain if the veil were being lifted or fitted more securely. He recalls the way the school was conducted, almost militarily. He also pictures the frequent visits of the millionaire benefactors, whose contributions paid for the school. He remembers a particular occasion when he was assigned to be a driver for one of the millionaires, Mr. Norton. The narrator finds himself identifying with this rich man, who appreciates tradition and talks of his good intentions concerning black people.

20. He tells the narrator about his grief over his deceased daughter and claims that everything he does, including deeds for the black community, is done in memory of her. As a result of the millionaire’s encouragement, the narrator opts to take a new route, a forbidden road. He is then overcome with guilt as he remembers his grandfather’s words. The two men arrive at the house of Jim True blood, a black man who is looked down upon by the entire black community. Mr. Trueblood's wife and daughter are both pregnant, and the narrator tells the millionaire that Mr. Trueblood is the father of both. Mr. Norton is shocked by the incest and wants to talk to Mr. Trueblood about it. When Mr. Norton approaches him, Mr. Trueblood tells his story. He explains how poor his family is. They have no heat and no beds; when they sleep on the floor, they stay close to each other to keep warm. He claims to have been having a dream when he awoke to find himself on his daughter, Matty Lou. Kate, Matty Lou's mother, woke up and pointed a shotgun at him. Eventually, she injured him with an ax ..

21. Mr. Trueblood says that no one in the black community believes his story, not even the preacher. Mr. Trueblood says the white men in town have asked him to re-tell his story over and over to different people, as if they were pleased with the tale. In fact, they gave him some new clothing for his family, gave him some work, and allowed him to stay on the land where he now lives. Mr. Trueblood ends by talking about his confusion; he has done one of the worst things a person can do, but the white community has seemed to embrace him for it, treating him better than he has ever been treated in his life. Mr. Norton originally wanted to shame Mr. Trueblood for his crime; instead he gave him one hundred dollars, for he was troubled by the story. After leaving Mr. Trueblood, Norton asks the narrator to take him somewhere quickly for some whiskey, for he feels a little faint over the entire incident. The narrator is worried about Mr. Norton and drives him to a nearby dive called the Golden Day, where he can get a drink.

22. Notes The statue on the grounds of the Negro college is a central symbol in this chapter. The revered statue depicts a slave with a veil halfway over his head; it is not clear whether the veil is being put on or taken off -- whether the slave is being put in his place or freed. It alludes to the blacks’ ongoing confusion about their status in life. The veil is also another metaphor for the narrator’s blindness, his inability to discern life as it is. When the narrator thinks about the statue, he remembers it is stained with bird droppings, which makes it seem more important than a new, clean statue. The bird stains indicate the statue has a history, a past. The narrator decides that having a past makes one important; since, as a black man in America, he has no past to speak of, he concludes he is not important. Having a past, like having power, is all-important. Mr. Norton, the rich, white millionaire, has a past; he feels as if he has done something worthwhile in life because he has contributed to the Negro College.

23. He proudly thinks that if young black men in America succeed because they have been able to go to college, he will share in that success. The irony is that Mr. Norton’s financial success in life is related to the economic failure of black people; he has kept them down so that he can rise. Trueblood's account of his family's poverty is shocking and grotesque, but probably close to the truth; however, his tale of how his daughter came to be pregnant is unbelievable, even though Trueblood delivers the story matter-of-factly without sensationalism or self- defense . In the end, the real horror is not just what he has done, but also his own moral confusion over the implications of his sin. Much of the confusion is caused by the white community. Although the blacks do not believe his story and hold him accountable for his wrong doing, the white community mysteriously gives him various kinds of support, almost as a reward for his criminal behavior. The white men like it when a black man reinforces their own feelings of superiority and morality.

24. To connote the difference between the races, Ellison makes heavy use of words referring to lightness and darkness or blackness and whiteness. The constant reliance of the narrator upon this color imagery is a testament to how distorted his thinking has become. As a young man, he accepted the white man’s color ideology in which light or "white " is good and dark or "black" is bad. His oppression is reinforced because he has adopted the value system of the oppressor. By the end of the novel, the narrator is fully aware of the negative aspects of this light/dark ideology and its implications. He is aware that as a dark- colored individual, his humanity is invisible to the white man; and yet he is still no less humane because of his invisibility. Mr. Norton proves he is no different than his less influential white peers who live near Trueblood; he ends up giving Trueblood one hundred dollars, which helps to reinforce in his mind his fated “connection” with all black men. The encounter with Trueblood makes Norton weak. To help erase the tale from his mind, he tells the narrator that he badly needs a drink of whiskey. The narrator, striving to excel in his service to the millionaire benefactor, rushes him to the nearest bar, which happens to be a sleazy black dive called the Golden Day.

25. THREE Summary Black veterans from an insane asylum are walking down the road toward the Golden Day, blocking the narrator and Mr. Norton from passing them in the car. The insane men are mostly professionals suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. The narrator tells one of the veterans that the car belongs to General Pershing in order to be allowed to pass. The narrator continues to worry, for he knows the veterans are also headed to the Golden Day to find prostitutes. On such occasions, the bar becomes quite rowdy. The narrator leaves Mr. Norton outside and goes in to order a whiskey. The bartender, Big Halley, refuses to serve him any liquor to take outside. As a result, some of the veterans help bring the faint Mr. Norton inside.

26. To wake him up, someone hits him in the face and someone else pours brandy in his mouth. Mr. Norton is surprised by the men standing around him and wants to know where he is. Halley tells a woman upstairs to sober up Supercargo, the bouncer, and send him down. When he appears at the top of the stairs, the veterans charge up after him. The men pull him down the stairs, allowing his head to thump each step. At the bottom of the stairs, the men kick him and jump on him. They give him beer to wake him up and pounce on him until he is unconscious again. Finally, they lay his body on the bar, as if he were dead. Halley serves them drinks while the narrator searches for Mr. Norton, who lies unconscious again under the stairs. The narrator yells at Mr. Norton to wake up, fearing that something bad has happened to him.

27. The crowd reacts by pushing him on top of the millionaire. Finally, one of the veterans steps in to help. The man arranges for Mr. Norton to be taken upstairs to a clean bed, where he begins to perform a medical examination on him. He tells the narrator that though he is now a patient at the insane asylum, he was once a physician. Edna, a prostitute, and her friend enter the room where Mr. Norton has been put. She comments to her friend that she likes white men because they cannot ever get enough sex. The friend says she would rather kill the whites. The veteran asks the two women to leave the room, fearing they will shock the fainting white man. When the veteran begins talking to Mr. Norton about his condition, the millionaire is amazed at his knowledge and wants to hear the veteran's story. The veteran says he was trained as a surgeon, but was chased and beaten for trying to practise medicine in the U S. The conversation changes to Mr. Norton and the narrator. The veteran tells Mr. Norton that the narrator is an invisible man, an automaton. The narrator is extremely uneasy with the free and alarming conversation between the crazy black man and the rich white benefactor. Mr. Norton becomes equally distressed and wants to leave. As they try to depart, the veteran surgeon threatens them, and the mob downstairs attacks them. Halley helps them escape to the car.

28. Notes Ironically, Ellison introduces a "crazy" character at the Golden Day to speak some of the only blatant truth in the novel-the truth about the white man’s need to “support” the black man. Neither Mr. Norton nor the narrator can believe how this black man speaks with such directness. The scene is compared in many ways with the previous encounter with Trueblood. Ellison plays heavily on the contrast between the two encounters. It is ironic that Mr. Norton contributes one hundred dollars to Trueblood, a man who degrades his own community, while he is angered by the man who speaks the truth with dignity. Ellison has also created another parallel. The black prostitutes at the Golden Day are paid by white men to perform degrading acts, while black men are also paid by white men to perform degrading acts (such as blind boxing and fighting for brass pieces on an electric rug). The implication is clear; the black race simply sells itself to the white race.

29. FOUR Summary The narrator drops Mr. Norton off on campus after a drive filled with profuse worries and fears about what he has allowed to happen. The narrator tries to apologise to Mr. Norton, but is merely told to send for the school nurse and Dr. Bledsoe. As he goes to get Dr. Bledsoe, he worries about losing the one identity he has as a student at the school. He tells Dr. Bledsoe that he took Mr. Norton to the old slave quarters because Mr. Norton requested it. Dr. Bledsoe tells the narrator that he was responsible for the incident, not Mr. Norton. When they arrive at Mr. Norton's room, Dr. Bledsoe tells Mr. Norton that the student driver, the narrator, will be reprimanded. The narrator defends himself, and Norton says he will tell Dr. Bledsoe the whole story. He confirms that the narrator is not responsible for the day's trouble. The narrator is asked to leave the two men alone. He returns to his room to worry about what will happen to him. Finally, he is sent for. When he arrives at the room, he finds Mr. Norton waiting alone. The benefactor reassures the narrator that he told Dr. Bledsoe nothing was his fault and that he should meet Dr. Bledsoe after Chapel. The narrator is relieved and heads for the Chapel.

30. Note on chapter 4 The young narrator is very worried about losing his identity as a student at the Negro college. It is almost too frightening for him to imagine; he thinks about begging and pleading with humble tears to prove himself worthy of remaining. He does not even seem to realize the irony of the fact that the identity the school has given him is the only one he has for them to take away. Even while he is worrying about the loss of this identity, another crisis threatens him. Dr. Bledsoe has been an inspiration to him; now, Dr. Bledsoe has attacked him and accused him and all blacks of manipulating white men. Dr. Bledsoe tells the narrator that blacks should show the white man only what they want him to see, acting as a filter. Dr. Bledsoe’s hypocrisy is even clearer when he approaches Mr. Norton with a stance of sincerity and humility that is in complete contrast to what he has told the narrator.

31. FIVE Summary The narrator walks to chapel with the other students, but he feels isolated from them; it is like he is guilty of some crime or great sin. In the chapel, he seats himself on a hard pew and waits for the ceremony, a ritual wherein rich white men are honoured and praised for giving help to the black students. Dr. Bledsoe sits among the honoured white men, commanding fear and admiration from all the students. Soon a black man walks to the podium, commanding the same reverence and attention as Dr. Bledsoe. The man, Reverend Homer A. Barbee, gives a sermon on the founder's life, comparing it to the life of each student present. The sermon makes the narrator feel ashamed for letting the events of the day get so far out of his control. He resents the reverend for making him feel so guilty. As the sermon closes and Reverend Barbee walks back to his seat, he falls. The narrator looks into the preacher’s eyes and realises that the man is blind. As the narrator leaves the chapel, he anticipates that Dr. Bledsoe will be merciless after hearing this sermon. He does not know what he will do if he has to leave the school.

32. Notes Ellison uses another symbol of blindness; Reverend Barbee is a blind preacher who delivers an inspirational sermon. His "rags to riches" story of the founder has an idealised meant to energize everyone, especially the whites being honoured. Ironically, it is a literal case of the blind leading the blind. After hearing the speech, the narrator begins to feel he is to blame for Mr. Norton's experiences that day. He worries that the will be kicked out of college for the events of the day.

33. CHAPTER SIX Summary The narrator goes to Dr. Bledsoe's office. He is questioned about his intentions, called degrading names, and accused of trying to ruin the college. Dr. Bledsoe tells him that to please white men, he must lie to them. The narrator is confused, for he holds fast to a belief in honesty. Dr. Bledsoe questions the narrator about the black surgeon at Golden Day; he comments that this man should be locked away from society for speaking so directly to a white man. He then tells the narrator that he is being dismissed from the college. The narrator explodes and threatens to tell Mr. Norton the truth, to which Dr. Bledsoe responds with nervous and shocked laughter. Dr. Bledsoe believes he has power over the white men because he has told them the lies they want to hear; he does not want the narrator to tell the truth.

34. Dr. Bledsoe tells the narrator that he has obviously not been taught much of anything about the world. He then tells the narrator he does not exist, because he has no place in this power hierarchy. The narrator is so disillusioned he begins to stop listening to Dr. Bledsoe as he rambles on. As the narrator gets up to leave, Dr. Bledsoe announces that he will spare the narrator some of his humiliation by sending him to New York for the summer to get a job, even going so far as to offer some letters of recommendation. The narrator is given two days to leave campus. He walks away from the office wondering how he strayed from what seemed like the perfect path. He suddenly feels his grandfather's presence haunting him. He decides to accept the guilt of putting the school at risk and acknowledging his punishment as fair. He goes to his dorm, counts his money, and decides to leave first thing in the morning. The narrator arrives at Dr. Bledsoe's office early the next day. Dr. Bledsoe prefaces the conversation by stressing that he will not change his mind. The narrator assures Dr. Bledsoe that he is in strict agreement with his decisions.

35. Dr. Bledsoe tells the narrator he has made the right decision by not fighting him. He then tells the narrator that two things make black men successful: accepting responsibility and not being bitter. The narrator then asks for the letters of recommendation. Dr. Bledsoe instructs him to return later and pick them up, but never unseal them. He returns for the letters, seven in all, and leaves to catch his bus, oblivious to the fact that the letters betray him. Notes The narrator is shocked by Dr. Bledsoe, particularly by his statement about lying to white men to please them. This statement sounds very similar to his grandfather's deathbed proclamation about destroying white men by agreeing with them. While the young narrator does not make the connection between Dr. Bledsoe and his grandfather, the reader and the present day narrator do.

36. The present day narrator does say that at the time he could only give in and believe in his guilt or become disillusioned and realize that his grandfather was telling the truth. The narrator accepts the guilt over disillusionment, for he does not want to lose hope, which is the only positive thing he has at the moment. In spite of his shock over learning the truth about Dr. Bledsoe and being kicked out of college by him, the narrator still trusts the man who has served as an inspiration to him. He believes that Dr. Bledsoe wants to help him find work in New York. As a result, he calls on Dr. Bledsoe to ask for letters of recommendation, never thinking that the man might betray him. Ellison brings up an important issue through Dr. Bledsoe: white people own the media and can tell any lie they want to tell until everyone believes it. This is an important piece of information, which Dr. Bledsoe understands, but the narrator does not.

37. The narrator, wrapped in his illusions, still believes in truth and justice, because he has not yet learned that such concepts as justice will not apply to him as a black victim. While he understands the reality of lynching, he has not yet come to understand the multitude of ways in which institutionalized racism permeates the society or how much more potent, the less overtly violent methods of control, such as the media, can be.

38. SEVEN Summary The narrator arrives at the bus station and recognizes the veteran surgeon from the Golden Day. Though he does not want to sit by the man since the experience from the day before still haunts him, he has no choice, for blacks are relegated to a small section in the rear. When he sits next to him, the narrator learns that the veteran is being transferred to another mental institution. The veteran begins to tease the narrator about travelling north to seek freedom. He also warns the young black man to wake up and be aware of the lying that goes on; he insists that he does not have to believe in the lies to succeed. He explains that the reality is that people do not see the narrator, for he is black; he then tries to explain the advantages of being invisible. The narrator, confused, ignores the old man. Before getting off at the first stop, the veteran acts in a nurturing manner towards the narrator, putting his hand on his shoulder and offering some last advice. He tells the narrator to be his person, for the world is full of possibility.

39. He also warns him to stay away from the Mr. Nortons in life. When the narrator leaves the bus, he heads towards Harlem, feeling worldly and sophisticated with his suitcase and leather briefcase in hand. Entering the subway system, he struggles against the crowd. He is afraid of standing close to the woman on the subway and thinks that riots must regularly happen because of such crowded situations. He decides that next time he will enter the subway with his hands on the lapels of his jacket. Walking into Harlem, he is shocked to see the multitudes of black people living and working as normal employees, such as cashiers and police officers. Perhaps he can believe what the veteran has said about a world of possibility. The narrator is suddenly jolted by the voice of Ras , a West Indian man standing on a soapbox and yelling angry words about the government. The narrator feels sure the speech will spark a riot; however, he notices two white police officers calmly talking amongst themselves with their backs turned to the scene. The policemen see him staring and question him. He asks for directions to the Men's House. Upon getting there, he relaxes, realising he will not be able to take in Harlem all at once.

40. Notes While Bledsoe advised the young narrator to accept responsibility and not be bitter about it, the veteran tells him to be his own person and not to associate with the Mr. Nortons of the world. Most importantly, he tells him that the world is full of possibility if he understands his invisibility and uses it to his advantage. Ultimately this realization will belong to the narrator, but for now he seems to cling to the fears and limits set on him by Bledsoe’s warnings. Ellison offers a sharp contrast between the North and the South in this chapter. The young narrator, who comes from the South, is shocked at the number of black men openly congregating and working at real jobs. On the subway he experiences terror as he bumps into a white woman in close quarters, expecting peoples’ reactions to be the same as they are in the South. Ellison hints about the mainstream belief that the North is less racist than the South. By the end of the novel, he has debunked the Northern myth, for both South and North have the same societal problems. While the white police appear to be indifferent in this chapter to the West Indian black who shouts against the government from his soapbox, the reader later learns they are only indifferent to him so long as he does not provoke them or stir black men into action.

41. Chapter Eight: summary The narrator prepares to interview for jobs. He goes out in the morning to offices of the men to whom his letters are addressed. Each time he gets to an office, he is met by a secretary. His letter is taken and he is told he will be written a letter of response. Walking down the street, he begins to wonder about the white in New York. He eats next to them and rides the subway with them. They do not seem to have an air of too much self-importance, and they apologise whenever they bump into him. Yet he feels certain they do not acknowledge him in their politeness. Their reactions are mechanical, for he is invisible to them. The narrator grows impatient, not hearing from the employers to whom he has given his letters. He only has one letter remaining. He does not send this last one, for he knows the man is out of town, and he suspects his letters rarely make it past the secretaries. He spends some time typing a perfect letter to the last man, requesting an appointment wherein he will pass on a message from Dr. Bledsoe. He waits anxiously and finally a letter from this man, Mr. Emerson, arrives.

42. Notes In this chapter, Ellison provides the reader with more of the cultural differences between the North and South. While he does acknowledge that these whites eat, walk, and sit next to him (in contrast to strict Jim Crow laws of the South), he becomes acutely aware of something false and impersonal in the interaction. He realizes the truth of the fact that he is truly invisible to these people. Rather than the young narrator being treated as an equal or even as a lesser person, he is simply ignored. This general feeling of not being acknowledged by the people around him affects him in a personal sense. He realizes that the potential employers to whom he has delivered his letters ignore him in the same way. That the narrator must emotionally endure people ignoring him is one issue, but that he must endure being ignored by economic institutions is quite a different level of severity, because he needs to be recognized in order to live. In hopes of being seen or heard, the narrator types out a perfect letter requesting a meeting with Mr. Emerson, the only employer who he has not called upon. The narrator feels relieved when he receives a response from him.

43. CHAPTER 9: Summary The narrator is walking along to his appointment with Mr. Emerson when he encounters a black man pushing a shopping cart and singing the blues. The man reminds the narrator of home, but also disturbs him much like the Golden Day veterans had disturbed him. The narrator feels himself smiling at the man's rhymes, wondering what they really mean; he also thinks of the freedom the man has in this city. The narrator, however, determines he will not become too attached to New York, for he plans to return to school and believes that his experience in the city will make him better prepared for college. Entering a diner to have breakfast before his meeting, he finds the service insulting. When he leaves, the narrator wonders if a tip from a black man to a white waitress would be insulting. The narrator goes to Mr. Emerson's office and hands his letter to a young man who appears to be the secretary. He is then interviewed briefly by this man, who turns out to be Mr. Emerson's son. The younger Mr. Emerson gives in to his impulse and shows the narrator the letter that Dr. Bledsoe has written. It says to the addressee to please help sever this former student's ties to the college because of crimes he has committed. The younger Mr. Emerson wants to help somehow and suggests that the narrator look for employment at Liberty Paint. The narrator is too shocked about the letter to listen to the suggestion; he quickly leaves the office. Out on the street, the narrator begins singing a folk song, again wondering about its meaning. He begins drawing connections between his life and the fate of the Robin in his song. Anger over Dr. Bledsoe fills him, and he dreams of getting revenge; however, he decides he must first find employment. He successfully applies for a job at Liberty Paint and is told to report to work early the next morning.

44. Notes At the beginning of this chapter, the naïve and hopeful narrator hears a black man singing the blues and wonders what the lyrics to common folk songs mean. Although he knows them by heart, he does not understand them. After he encounters the young Mr. Emerson and the truth of Dr. Bledsoe's letter, he can no longer fight disillusionment. After experiencing this shock, the lyrics to the folk songs he sings begin to make sense to him. He recognizes himself as the disenfranchised subject of the common folk song. Though it is not yet clear to the young narrator, there is an obvious connection between the letter written by Dr. Bledsoe and the letter he dreamed about the night of the Battle Royal. Both letters state that it is best to keep this young “nigger” running.

45. CHAPTER 10: Summary The narrator arrives at the Liberty Paint factory and learns he is one of several young black men brought in to the plant to replace striking union workers. Shortly after arriving, he gets an assignment with Mr. Kimbro , a very loud and angry man. He learns to mix chemicals into paint to make it white. However, Mr. Kimbro does not explain everything properly, and the narrator ends up making batches of useless gray paint. After he finishes correcting his work by adding a darker paint, he is sent back to the main office where he is assigned another position in the plant, as Lucius Brockway's assistant. Lucius Brockway does not really want an assistant, fearing that personnel is trying to replace him from his job. He accepts this young man, since the narrator does not appear threatening. His first assignment is to read the gauges in the basement. Mr. Brockway talks a little more about himself and the company before the narrator leaves to take his lunch in the break room, where he is stopped by members holding a union meeting. Fearing he is a traitor, they hassle him. Eventually, he has lunch and returns to the basement. Mr. Brockway threatens to kill him when he hears that he encountered a union meeting. They engage in a physical fight, until Mr. Brockway gives in. Then Mr. Brockway leaves the scene laughing when the narrator loses control of a machine. There is an explosion of machine parts, which fall on him, and the narrator loses consciousness.

46. Notes Ellison points out the absurdity of lightness being associated with goodness when he introduces the white paint company's logo: "Keep America Pure." The black narrator is trying to be a part of a traditional system which will never admit him as a worthy member, because the ideology specifies that only "white" is pure. In addition, the paint being made especially for the government is metaphoric for the connection between this light/dark ideology and the fact that it is supported by real power. Interestingly, the paint the narrator mixes becomes whiter when drops of black are added to it. The symbolic suggestion in the context of the novel is that a necessary element of blackness in society serves only to highlight and enhance the overwhelming whiteness. Ellison also builds on this ideological system to show how black people fit into the socioeconomic picture. It becomes obvious that the worst jobs are given to black men. If the paint factory is a microcosm of society where "white" is pure, then one can see who does the dirty work to maintain that "white" purity. In other words, just like there is a black man in the basement toiling away to make pure white paint possible, there are black men working hard daily in society, doing the dirty work, which supports the upper crust, the economically successful white men. In the midst of this symbolic commentary, Ellison also provides a background of union activity where people in the lower economic class are organizing to work in solidarity together. Yet, this attempt at solidarity to counter the economic discrimination they encounter is opposed by the severity of their economic insecurity. Lucius does not trust the narrator and ensures that the narrator will lose his job. Moreover, despite these men's efforts at working together in solidarity, they are strike breakers themselves. Unions at the time were segregated and, therefore, did not work to strengthen all workers, a fact that contributed to their vulnerability.

47. ELEVEN: Summary The narrator returns to consciousness in the factory laboratory. Several physicians wander in and out, talking about him as if he is not there. He is strapped down inside a glass box. At one point, the talk of treating the narrator turns to lobotomies and experimental electric shock therapy. The procedure is painful, taking him in and out of consciousness. Eventually, the narrator has totally forgotten his own identity; he wonders if he will be set free once he remembers who he is. However, the doctors ask him his name, and when he doesn’t know, they let him go. He leaves the hospital and wonders out into the Harlem streets. Notes This chapter is disorienting and bizarre. The narrator has been taken to some kind of clinic for treatment that leaves him totally confused and bewildered. The strange irony is that the narrator thinks he might be set free when he can remember his identity, but in actuality the laboratory workers want the total opposite, the complete loss of memory. While it may seem their motivation is fear of the consequences of the laboratory accident, Ellison actually uses the incident to drive home the growing theme of the white man’s desire to erase the identity of the black man. Earlier, in the Golden Day, the veteran had told Mr. Norton that if the people downstairs realized who Mr. Norton truly was, his life would lose all its inflated value. Likewise, if the narrator can remember his own identity and value himself, he will not overvalue white men. For obvious reasons, no one this far in the novel has wanted him to stop overvaluing white society; the narrator’s inflated sense of white man’s worth is what gives the white man power over him.

48. CHAPTER 12: Summary The narrator faints and collapses on the street. A crowd gathers around him, and a kind woman helps him up and takes him to her home. Her name is Mary, and she offers him a room to rent. He accepts, realizing he can no longer board back at the Men's House. Mary talks incessantly of hope and responsibility. Though her endless talking annoys him, Mary at least treats him live a visible person. The narrator stays mostly in his room reading books. Since the incident in the paint factory, he has become obsessed with his identity and is stressed by contradictory voices within himself. Something is slowly beginning to change in him, but the only thing obvious to him is his growing anger and resentment. As he walks down the streets, angry words spew involuntarily from his mouth. He finds his passion for making speeches is returning. Notes Ironically, as the narrator begins to feel more confused about who he is, he begins to behave more like his earlier, younger self, wanting to make speeches. He is suddenly filled with things to say, conscious of the debate within himself. Now that he has been disillusioned by Dr. Bledsoe, he can begin to question things in a healthy way.

49. THIRTEEN: Summary After a time, the narrator grows restless with just reading books. His thoughts centre on tough questions about his identity. Out in the streets, he notices many store signs, many of which are religious or symbolic. One advertisement advocates "whiter" skin as the solution to happiness and beauty. He wants to punch the glass casing with his fist but continues down the road. He comes upon a peddler selling hot yams. He orders one and starts to eat it immediately. It creates a feeling of nostalgia in the narrator, which suddenly triggers a feeling of freedom. He is exhilarated to be walking down the street while eating a yam -- without fear and by himself. This is something he would have been ashamed to do in the past. Now he feels no shame and realizes that he likes who he is. As he orders two more yams, he wonders how much enjoyment he has missed in life because he has felt too ashamed to do anything other than what is expected. He thinks of Dr. Bledsoe and fantasises about accusing him in public for being a chitterlings eater, crushing him emotionally with humiliation.

50. As he walks further down the street, the narrator encounters a crowd. Two white men are carrying furniture out of an apartment. A woman sits in one of the chairs being carried out of the house, and she throws punches at the men. A second woman from the same apartment is also yelling. The narrator is filled with disgust as he watches the scene and the crowd, which is silent, self-conscious, and ashamed to be watching what is going on. The narrator feels bad that he has mistakenly identified their household items for junk. When one of the women makes eye contact with the narrator, he looks away out of embarrassment. Her crying affects him deeply. He feels drawn to her, but is afraid of his strong emotions. He wants to leave, but cannot make himself go away. He looks at the personal possessions on the ground, including old baby shoes and newspaper clippings. He is startled to see a paper that certifies that a slave has become a free person. The nausea of the narrator turns to rage. He overhears that the event being witnessed is an eviction. One of the women tries to go back into her apartment to pray. The white man tells her she is evicted and cannot re-enter. He threatens to hit her, but she charges ahead anyway. She is knocked back to the sidewalk, and someone yells that the white man hit her. Before a fight erupts, the narrator runs between the people

51. and the marshal to intervene. He begins to deliver a speech, even though he fears they may laugh at him. Instead, people take him seriously and listen for a moment; they then storm up the steps anyway. Shots are fired, the marshal is beaten, and the narrator finds himself on the ground, having been trampled over. The narrator picks himself up and helps the others as they chase the marshal away. They then begin to carry furniture back into the apartment. There is a mood of excitement, empowerment, and pride amongst the blacks. Suddenly, the narrator notices other that other white men are present; they represent some organization and claim to be friends of all people. They encourage the blacks to hold a demonstration. Before they can march, a police officer arrives and orders everyone to clear the streets. The officer calls into headquarters to report a riot and questions the white people as to why they are in Harlem. In the midst of the confusion, the narrator escapes quietly into the apartment building and up the stairs. A woman recognizes him as the speechmaker and warns him that he is headed in the wrong direction; she encourages him to escape over the roof, so his identity will remain unknown. As he leaves by way of the roof, the narrator realizes he is being followed by a man who does not shoot or shout at him. Once he reaches the street, he believes he has escaped safely.

52. A man standing at the corner compliments him for his speech; he realises it is the same man who has followed him on the roof. The narrator pretends that he does not know what the man is talking about. The man compliments him again and invites him to talk in a coffee shop, because it is not safe to be seen together on the street. Once in the coffee shop, the narrator has a feeling that the man is not being totally himself and wonders how much he can trust him. The man, who calls himself Brother Jack, gives him the same compliment the woman at the roof gave him; he stirs people to action with his words. The man explains to the narrator that individuals are not important; he needs to focus his speech-making abilities on the masses. The narrator is offended by this statement, for he identifies himself with individuals, such the old people who have been evicted. The man tells him that while he may have been like those people once, he is different now. The narrator disagrees and distrusts the strange man; he also declines an offer to work for the man giving speeches and bringing local people to action by expressing their grievances. The man explains that the difference between individual and organized resistance means the difference between criminal activity and political activity. The narrator takes the man's phone number and leaves. Although he does not understand everything that has been said, the narrator believes that Brother Jack has spoken with confidence and assurance and feels intrigued.

53. Notes on Chapter 13 In this chapter, the central event in the novel occurs as the narrator feels a sense of liberation; he feels exhilarated and free when he is not ashamed to eat a yam on the street, something he would never have done in the South. He has risen above his fear of seeming backward and “black”. The white power structure demands that certain things be valued and others scorned; the narrator realizes how much he has given up in his life to go along with what society has said he "should" like and do. Now he understands how absurd it is to feel ashamed for being who he is and doing what he enjoys. It is a realisation that liberates and energizes the narrator. In the next scene, the narrator uses his liberation as a stepping stone toward identity. A crowd of people stands around on the street watching an old couple being forcibly evicted from their home. There is a great deal of shame as the spectators watch their household items being poured out on the sidewalk. The narrator is prompted to speak out--to tell the spectators that it is perfectly normal to want to help the couple; it is all right to want to stop the cruel eviction. With a zeal he has not had since his experience with the white leaders in the first chapter, he makes a speech energizing the black people to express their feelings. The ensuing scene is wild, and the narrator is smart to flee when things get out of hand. However, he is followed and recognized by people who apparently support and compliment him on his speech making abilities. Brother Jack offers him a job, but the narrator is suspicious, for the strange white man is secretive and mysterious. He tells the narrator that he needs to speak out for a cause - to represent the masses, not just individuals, like the old people. The narrator is bothered, for Brother Jack asks him to suppress his personal identity for the good of all, just at a time when he is beginning to discover it and revel in it.

54. CHAPTER FOURTEEN Summary The narrator returns to Mary's house and smells cabbage cooking. The smell reminds the narrator of poverty, and he is filled with remorse for the expense he has caused Mary. He realizes he should have accepted Brother Jack’s job offer so he could pay her. Mary has been kind to him, and he has repaid her by creating more debt. He pulls out Brother Jack’s number and calls. In moments, a car arrives for the narrator. Jack and several other men are in the car. They take the narrator to a house where a party is evidently taking place. A woman opens the door and invites them inside. Another woman named Emma serves them a drink. Jack and Emma discuss the narrator as a hero of the people. Moments later the narrator overhears Emma questioning Jack as to whether he thinks the new speaker should be "blacker." Jack reminds her that they are concerned with his voice and not his looks. The narrator is angered by what he has overheard. He walks over to a window and looks down at the street, wondering what the woman wants from him. Brother Jack approaches him at the window and asks him to join in a meeting in the library.

55. The narrator is told the organization has been formed to work for a better world. Jack asks him if he wants to be the next Booker T. Washington. The narrator does not know how to respond. He does, however, ask when he should begin work. They tell him to show up the next day. They also inform him to leave Mary's house and stop writing home, for he must become very private. In addition, he is handed a paper with a name written on it that is to be his new identity; he is told to answer only to his new name in the future. They give him money to pay his debt at Mary's and tell him that they will pay him a salary of sixty dollars per week. He can hardly believe his good fortune. Back in the main room of the social gathering, a man calls the narrator, asking him to sing a gospel. Brother Jack snaps at the man and tells him that he does not sing. The narrator laughs out of control, until others in the room break the tension with laughter as well. A woman then apologizes for the drunken man's behavior. He feels confused as to why everyone thought the man was wrong to ask him to sing. His thoughts are interrupted when Emma asks him to dance. He goes to the dance floor with her as if he is not surprised to be dancing with a white woman; but his mind is racing with the implications and the newness of the situation. Later, at Mary's house, he realizes he cannot face her to tell her he is leaving her. He decides to simply disappear; since he has a new identity, he will leave everything old behind.

56. Notes In the previous chapter, the narrator is asked to suppress his identity. Now he is given an entirely new one, even being told to change his name. It is no wonder that he feels confused, for his identity seems interchangeable and arbitrary. The narrator chooses to override his negative instincts about these people, for they are offering him a job that pays sixty dollars a week and the opportunity to actualize his original dream of becoming another Booker T. Washington. He also likes the fact that these people do not laugh at him. The allure of being taken seriously is emotionally powerful for him and he cannot turn away. At the end of the chapter, there is a clear hint that the narrator does not feel right about his decision. When he returns to Mary’s house, he cannot face her to tell her he is leaving. He decides to simply disappear, leaving all the accoutrements of his old life behind. This is a symbolic break to physically reinforce the liberation he has felt in the last chapter.

57. CHAPTER 15 Summary The narrator is awakened upon his last day at Mary's by a loud noise and a headache. He thinks about things that bother him. He is irritated by the loudness of the people on the street below. He is also bothered by a coin bank in the shape of a black man. He feels annoyed that Mary owns such a thing. In irritation, he drops the bank and breaks it. Mary knocks on the door, and he wonders where he will hide the broken bank. He puts it in his briefcase. The narrator goes down to the kitchen for coffee and tries to get Mary's attention in order to give her the money he owes her. When he succeeds, she asks if he has a job. He lies and says no, explaining that he won the money by gambling. After breakfast, he says he has to go out for the morning and says good-bye. He grabs his leather briefcase from his closet. On his way out the door, he pauses and pulls out the piece of paper Jack has given him. He looks at his new identity before walking away from Mary’s house forever. Walking down the street, the briefcase hits his leg, and its heaviness reminds him of the broken bank inside. He wants to get rid of it immediately, so he throws it into a trash can. A woman comes out of her house and tells him to take his trash back. She also calls him some derogatory names for being from the South. He threatens her, but picks the bank up and continues walking.

58. Finally, he drops the bank in the snow and thinks his problem is solved. A man approaches him two blocks later, returning the bank. The man accuses him of being a drug peddler. After an angry exchange of words, the narrator realizes he cannot drop the bank again, because the man and other men are watching him. He decides to carry the bank downtown, where he can surely get rid of it. At the subway, he sees the headlines on the paper about the eviction of the day before. Before calling on Jack, the narrator goes shopping and buys himself a new suit. When he arrives at Jack’s, he is sent to his new apartment and given literature in order to prepare for the evening's rally. He is welcomed into his new apartment by a woman and is amazed at the size of the place. The first thing he decides to do is draw himself a bath, thinking he will dispose of the smashed bank later. Notes The broken money bank shaped like a grotesquely comic black man is symbolic of the past, and the narrator’s old identity. While he was never a stereotype, he used to believe in those ideas and systems that supported and reinforced stereotypes. Though he is now entering the world with a new assumed identity, he cannot free himself from the shame and hassle of his old identity. It is a part of himself which he must carry until he can confront the issues within himself. The bank is a physical reminder of those things which haunt him regardless of the new name he has been given or the new ideas he tries to adopt.

59. CHAPTER 16: Summary Jack and the members of the Brotherhood introduce the narrator to a life he has been totally unacquainted with. They pick him up and drive him around to give speeches he does not fully understand and espouse values he is not entirely sure of. In this chapter, Jack and the Brotherhood take him to give a speech but tell him to wait until the crowd is at the height of impatience. Other men gather and talk in the crowded room. The narrator looks at a photograph of a champion boxer, blinded from fighting in the very arena in which he now stands. He remembers his father telling him the story of the fighter. He takes a seat, feeling sad. He begins to get anxious, worried that the crowd will resent him for speaking so late and making them wait. He has no choice but to trust the Brotherhood. The narrator worries that he may forget his new identity. He feels divided between his old self and his new self, and more than a little bewildered by the present. He wonders if delivering the speech and receiving the attention it brings will be enough to mould his new self instantly. Once on stage, the narrator is blinded by the spotlight and bumps into the men in front of him. The crowd begins singing a song, and he is afraid the police in the audience will

60. recognise him. Jack assures him that the police are present for their protection only, because they are holding a political rally. The crowd begins chanting and speakers go to the podium one by one. Finally, it is his turn to speak. He has trouble adjusting to the microphone, having never used one before. He still delivers a powerful speech on dispossession. At some point there is a natural pause in his speech and the audience applauds wildly. He is not sure how to proceed. Jack pretends to adjust the microphone for him and warns him to be careful about proceeding into his personal life too much. He reminds the narrator that he is not an individual, but the voice for the larger group. As his speech ends, the crowd claps fanatically. Jack jumps to congratulate him, and others come from every direction to kiss him, hug him, slap him on the back, and thank him. Brother Jack cannot stop celebrating, until another brother with a pipe begins to complain loudly about the speech. The man, Brother Wrestrum , feels the narrator is reactionary and dangerous. He feels the people should be helped to understand their goals intellectually, not stirred so wildly emotionally. Jack announces that he has already planned for the new speechmaker to be trained by Brother Hambro . The narrator is told that he will receive his regular salary, but he is to stay out of Harlem and study for a while.

61. The narrator goes home, takes a shower, and goes to bed, but he is unable to sleep. He thinks back over his speech and feels as if someone else delivered it. He begins to wonder what exactly is meant by some of the things that he had said. He is perplexed by the statement that he was becoming more human. He does feel, however, that he is doing more than he or Bledsoe or Norton ever dreamed he would do. For the first time, he feels as if he is more than just a member of a "race." The irony is that he understands very little about what he is doing, who the Brotherhood is, and what their ideas mean. He certainly does not know who he is even though he has been given a purpose and an identity. For the time being, those things blind him to the things he does not know. Notes Ellison begins this chapter with the narrator encountering a picture of a boxer blinded in the ring, an image reminiscent of the battle royal of chapter one; it also serves to remind him of his past, for his own father has told the narrator the story of how this boxer was blinded. The picture and the remembrance make the narrator feel sad. He is also nervous and worried about giving his speech, especially since he has been told to make the people wait to hear him. Then, when the young narrator steps out on stage to give his speech, he himself is literally blinded by the lights. Ellison is alluding to the fact that the narrator is blind to the situation he is in. He has no idea what the organization is that he is working for, nor does he understand the speech that he is presenting. At the end of the chapter when the young narrator feels that for the first time he is something more than part of a "race," Ellison sets it up so that it seems he is blind or naive in his thinking. Brother Jack has already reminded him that he is just a part of a group, not an individual. The seeds of yet another disillusionment have been planted.

62. CHAPTER 17:Summary After four months of study, Jack takes him to Harlem. However, instead of delivering speeches, he is taken out for drinks. The lack of activity bothers the narrator, who longs for another chance at glory. He studies more than ever, preparing for the next speech. Jack informs the narrator that he has been voted spokesperson for the Harlem district. He is advised to keep the people stirred up and active. He will be provided with guidance and orders. Jack explains that he has freedom to operate within the guidelines of the organization. He tells him that he will have an appointment with the executive committee of the Harlem section the next day at nine. Jack then takes him to the location of his new office. They are met at the door by Brother Tarp. The next morning, the narrator arrives on time. He is announced as the new spokesperson just as Brother Clifton arrives late. At first, the narrator is threatened by the handsome young man, thinking he is a rival for his position. Clifton explains his tardiness by saying he was seeing a doctor to treat his wounds from an encounter with Ras the Exhorter and his nationalists. In the meeting the narrator suggests that they focus on the eviction issue in the community by getting the support of local officials. Brother Clifton supports his idea. Then, he suggests taking the speeches to the streets like Ras does. The committee agrees but reminds Clifton of the non-violence rule of the group.

63. Jack leaves, and Clifton and the narrator go over plans for street speeches. The narrator looks around the room to observe everyone and try to figure them out. He cannot, deciding they are too different, too fluid. He decides that he too is different and changes all the time. He decides he should not make anyone angry, since he is to be the new leader. Outside, the narrator is surrounded by a crowd of people anxious to hear him speak. Clifton’s youth division of the Brotherhood surrounds him. Ras the Exhorter and his violent gang of activists show up and begin to fight. The narrator is hit in the head and falls. He sees Ras pull a knife on Clifton but stop in mid-air. Ras lets Clifton go because he is black. Ras tries to convince Clifton and the narrator that they are traitors to the black people by helping ex-slave holders and calling them brothers, for there are white men in the Brotherhood. Ras goes on to explain that white men will only call them brothers long enough to achieve their goals. He pleads with them to believe him, even moved to tears. The narrator responds carefully, telling Ras they will not go away, and they want no more trouble with him or his nationalists. Clifton and the narrator leave, talking as they go about how Jack will respond to the violence, which is strictly against Brotherhood policy. Clifton halfway admits to believing some of Ras' philosophy, revealing that he sometimes feels he has turned his back on the black people in some manner. He tells the narrator he does not know any other way of fighting for his cause, revealing that if he allowed himself to get as angry as Ras , he might lose control and kill someone. The narrator is mostly silent, finally saying he is glad the Brotherhood can help them fight for their cause.

64. Notes The most significant aspect of this chapter is the gradual revelation of the narrator’s emotional state. He has been swept up into a world of crowds, speeches, political rallies, causes, and ideologies. He finds himself beginning to feel important, identified because he has been given a name and a purpose, even if the name is not familiar to him and the purpose is not exactly clear. Crowds of strangers applaud him, follow him, ask him to speak. He is important enough to spark dissension, argument, even riots. He finds himself appealing to politicians to support the cause of the Brotherhood and is often successful. But he is not entirely confident, and the arrival of Tod Clifton arouses insecurity in him, some fear that he might lose his new position of importance and popularity. Clifton, however, becomes a companion, not an enemy. The two of them encounter the first real threat to their so-called identities. They are challenged by Ras the Exhorter, a sometimes violent African Nationalist who believes the black man must separate himself entirely from the white man in order to be seen and respected. Ras does not agree with the Brotherhood and thinks the white men in the organisation are using young black men to get what they want. He warns Clifton and the narrator that they will be used and then forgotten. Ras is passionate and sincere in his warnings, even moved to tears. He ignites the flames of doubt in Tod and the narrator, confusing them about their motivations and their causes. Tod even gives voice to his doubts, saying he sometimes feels he has betrayed his people. The narrator begins to question the absurdity of being given a new name; these new doubts and questions are at the heart of yet another disillusionment for the young narrator.

65. CHAPTER 18: Summary One day the narrator receives an anonymous letter warning him to back off in the Brotherhood or the white men in the Brotherhood will remove him. The narrator is upset and confused by the letter and cannot find out who wrote it. He is told by Brother Tarp not to worry; as long as a few support him, he will still be able to do his work. Tarp then tells the narrator about his lame leg. For nineteen years, he dragged a chain on that leg because he would not let some one take something that was his. He finally broke the chain and escaped. Tarp pulls out the link of chain he broke to free himself and gives it to the narrator as a reminder of why they are fighting for the blacks. The narrator slips the link around his finger up and hits the letter on the desk. He does not want the link, but feels obligated to accept it, like a son would accept an out-of-date watch from his father. Brother Wrestrum enters the office and slouches down into a chair, looking nervously over the narrator's desk. The narrator feels he is a snoop and does not know his true function in the Brotherhood. He only understands that Wrestrum has some amount of power within the organisation . Wrestrum asks about the link on the desk. When the narrator explains what it is, he tells him he should not display such things, because it points out people's differences. He says that those differences are what the Brotherhood is fighting against. Wrestrum goes on to explain how those in the Brotherhood must watch themselves and get rid of anything that does not make for a Brotherhood.

66. The narrator begins to wonder if Wrestrum wrote the letter. He pulls the letter out, playing with it, and drops it on top of the link. Wrestrum looks at it, but shows no recognition. The narrator is disappointed not to have found the author. Wrestrum warns the narrator that not everyone in the Brotherhood believes in the Brotherhood. The narrator is horrified by the idea that anyone would be forced to shake his hand or call him brother. Wrestrum explains how he seeks to find whatever is in him that is against the Brotherhood and expel it from himself daily. He confesses that the most common element is resentment, but he keeps it checked and cleaned out. Wrestrum then proceeds to ask the narrator about creating some way for black brothers to recognize each other, some sort of Brotherhood emblem that they might wear. Wrestrum tells him how Clifton was in a scuffle and got confused and began beating up a white brother. He thinks that perhaps an emblem would help this problem. Their conversation is interrupted when the narrator receives a call to be interviewed as a hero for a local youth magazine. He tries to refuse, but ends up accepting. Wrestrum leaves after the phone call. About two weeks pass, and the narrator attends a meeting where Wrestrum calls a complaint on him before the committee. As he is being accused, the narrator notices a certain spark of pleasure in Jack's eyes as he scribbles on a pad. Wrestrum accuses him of being a petty individualist, sabotaging the Brotherhood by exploiting it for his own purposes. He offers the magazine article as proof, saying that the interview was arranged by the narrator to celebrate himself as an exceptional individual.

67. The narrator denies offering anything but the standard explanation of the organization and regular literature handouts when speaking to the reporter. He is asked to step out momentarily while the committee discusses the matter. He is called back in the room and dismissed of the charges of being an enemy, but questions remain about the magazine article. The narrator is furious that the charges were made in the first place; however, the situation is explained to him in such a logical manner that he feels he must accept. A charge was made and, right or wrong, they have an obligation to investigate. Now they ask him to relocate until all charges against him may be cleared. He has been reassigned to speak on behalf of feminist issues. He is disappointed, but too ambitious to refuse relocation. He will speak on anything important for the Brotherhood as long as he can advance. The narrator decides that the relocation is an expression of the Brotherhood’s unbroken faith in him. After all, he is being asked to address a taboo topic and open the Brotherhood to women. He leaves with misguided optimism.

68. Notes The letter he finds in the beginning of the chapter calls to mind the other two letters in the novel: the one he dreamed about and the one Bledsoe gave him. All three are designed to keep “the nigger running;” the narrator is to be kept in his place, uncomfortable with his abilities and unsure of his identity in the world. Later it becomes evident that the author of the letter is none other than Brother Jack, who is seen smiling when the narrator is formally charged with a complaint. For now, however, the narrator is kept guessing, kept running. In this chapter, Ellison brings out the issue that the individual has no place within the Brotherhood. In fact, Wrestrum is introduced to point out that the Brotherhood is not interested in individual experience or identity. He nit-picks with the narrator, saying he should not have things such as a link on his desk, for he shows individuality. He reminds the narrator that the Brotherhood is about one mutual cause. Time and again the narrator is cautioned against being unique, individual, personal. Wrestrum complains to the committee that the narrator is too interested in his own identity, bringing out in the open some of the narrator’s internal struggle. It is obvious that Wrestrum is jealous of the narrator's growing influence and is fairly ridiculous in his accusations and presentation. It is obvious that Wrestrum is the one who makes the complaint about the narrator to the committee. The invisible man cannot figure out why the committee would listen to Wrestrum , whom he judges as a “clown.” He cannot understand why he must stand in front of others in the Brotherhood to be judged. The scene is similar to the night of the battle royal of the first chapter. The committeemen sit around smoking and seem to enjoy making the narrator squirm with discomfort. Like the white leaders who paid for the young black men to fight one another and jump on electric rugs, these leaders in the Brotherhood give Wrestrum a forum in which to degrade the narrator. Even though the narrator sees clearly that Wrestrum is jealous of him and trying to get rid of him, he continues to accept orders from the committee; he leaves Harlem, which he loves, to take a new a assignment. He does not dare to complain, for fear of losing more favor . Neither does he recognize that the “dance” he is doing for the Brotherhood is degrading to himself the same way the Battle Royal was degrading to the young men.

69. CHAPTER 19 The narrator’s feminist speech making is goes well, though he feels everyone is a little suspicious of him as a black man claiming to know about women. At one point, he is unexpectedly approached by a woman, who invites him for coffee and asks him to help her with her ideological problems. At her home, he is shocked by her wealthy lifestyle and wonders if she is not trying to buy off some of her guilty conscience with Brotherhood donations. However, she is consciously and overtly feminine in her behavior and appears very interested in learning about the Brotherhood. She serves wine and explains that she wants to adopt a new philosophy in order to replace the emptiness in her life. She tells him that although he makes one feel very secure with his ideology, he also makes her feel afraid. He is shocked by her word choice until she clarifies that she thinks he is very forceful and powerful. He explains that the power is in the organization. She tells him that she feels compelled to respond to his speech whether or not she understands his meaning. The narrator becomes aware of their physical closeness and hesitates, but she urges him to continue to speak. When a bell rings, he gets up to leave, but she asks him to stay. She explains it is only the phone and that her husband is in Chicago. She begins touching his biceps as she speaks to him. He feels many different emotions, wanting to stay, wanting to be violent, fearing people are about to walk into the room with cameras. In the end, he stays and they have sex. Later, he is awakened by a man in the hallway, who looks into the

70. room where the two lovers are and calmly announces his arrival before retiring to his own room. The narrator is frantically scared. He finds his clothing in the dark and is too afraid to awaken the woman. He sneaks out of the house quietly. He cannot figure out why the man did not say anything about his presence. It is again as if he is invisible. Although the narrator fears he will be caught with the woman, he continues to see her. One day he is called to headquarters and thinks at once it is about his affair with the white woman. Instead he is told that Tod Clifton has disappeared and the Brotherhood is losing the people of Harlem to Ras and the nationalists. Jack tells the narrator that he must return to Harlem immediately. The narrator wonders what could have happened to Clifton and wishes he had not lost contact with him in the first place.

71. Notes Ironically, in the chapter where the narrator is supposedly addressing feminist issues, his lack of clarity on the subject becomes obvious. Though he claims to speak on behalf of feminist issues, he expresses his own sexist views when he reveals his suspicion that white women are simply pawns of white men, whose goal is to seduce and confuse black men. This dehumanizing, de-individualizing view of women makes the narrator’s own position as a feminist orator laughable. Additionally, this scene reveals quite directly the seductive power of flattery. The white woman tells the narrator that even when she does not understand his words, she believes in his cause. The narrator succumbs to her praises and advances, reinforcing that his identity is blurred by others who want to shape him. The woman also throws him into confusion again. He is torn about his relationship with her, always fearing he will be caught by her husband or punished by the brotherhood. When he sees a man in the hallway looking into the room, the narrator once again feels he is invisible, for the man does nothing to react to his presence in the woman’s bed. At the end of the chapter, the narrator is again called to the Brotherhood headquarters. He frantically thinks that his relationship with the white women has been discovered. Instead, they have called him, to use him one more time. Clifton has disappeared, and the narrator is needed to excite the blacks in Harlem, who have been joining forces with Ras and the nationalists.

72. CHAPTER 20: Summary The narrator goes to a bar in Harlem and greets a couple of men as brothers, but they take offense. Barrelhouse, the bartender, settles them down, but one of them speaks up, saying he heard the narrator sold out to the white men, abandoning Harlem. Later, Barrelhouse tells the narrator that many of the local black men who received employment through the Brotherhood have now lost their jobs. The narrator leaves and is shocked to see how desperate things have become in the neighbourhood while he has been gone. There is a total lack of Brotherhood activity in the area. Arriving at the office, he is dismayed to find no one there. Later that night he discovers Brother Tarp's things are gone. The next day the narrator feels anxious when no one calls him about the strategy meeting. He calls headquarters, but no one answers. Finally, he goes down to headquarters and discovers the Brotherhood is holding a meeting without him, intentionally. They have left strict orders not to be disrupted, so he leaves in a rage. He decides that they will have to come looking for him when they decide to talk to him. He also resolves that he will not be doing any more business downtown. When he stops on the street to buy a new pair of shoes, the narrator sees a gathering crowd. He approaches and finds the crowd is watching a vendor who is selling strange stereotypical black dolls that dance comically when strings are pulled. The dolls are horrifyingly comic, grotesque enough that the narrator is seized with the urge to destroy them all. He looks up and discovers to his horror that the vendor is none other than Tod Clifton, who smiles contemptuously at him.

73. The police approach and the crowd moves away, separating the narrator from Tod without the chance to talk. One of the dolls has been left on the street, and the narrator is about to crush it with his foot; instead, he picks it up and carries it with him, wondering and agonizing over what Clifton is doing. He recalls the conversation he had with Clifton one night after a scuffle with Ras . He realizes that Clifton has turned his back on the Brotherhood for good Later he sees Clifton at a distance in the park with another man. The other man leaves and Clifton walks on, but a police officer follows him. The policeman begins to harass Clifton, pushing him. Eventually, Clifton hits the officer, landing the policeman on his back. The narrator sees Clifton fall to his knees; the officer slowly rises with a gun in hand. A shot is fired, and Tod Clifton is dead. The narrator tries to understand what has happened to Clifton. He realizes that he is the only witness to the short life and death of Tod Clifton, an ordinary man. He wonders who will speak for and remember ordinary people. After leaving the subway, the narrator walks down the block, suddenly aware of all the black people around him living lives independent of the Brotherhood. He realizes that he had never noticed these people when he worked in Harlem the first time. As he passes them, he feels as if he is walking by familiar friends, ordinary individuals, who refuse to acknowledge him. He begins to see the truth of the Brotherhood, which is that he was used for a time and now he is no longer needed. He never had an individual worth to the organization, so he is easily forgotten.

74. Notes In this chapter, the young narrator endures several shocks. Harlem is no longer politically active in the Brotherhood, many of the inhabitants believe he is a sell-out to the whites, the committee has banned him from an important meeting, he finds Clifton in the worst of circumstances, and ultimately sees Clifton murdered by a policeman. All this activity serves to strip him of more of his blindfold in relation to the Brotherhood and its ideas on sacrificing the individual for the greater cause. He begins to realize that he has never understood the cause, and now that he is starting to, he does not agree with it. In the latter half of the chapter, the narrator notices another group of people in Harlem to whom he has not paid attention before. While Ellison does not name them, he describes them much like members of the Nation of Islam, or the black Moslems. These people do not stand out as individuals, all dressing the same. They are so synchronized in their adopted beliefs and customs that they do not even need to speak to communicate with each other. While the narrator is sitting on the subway, he sees a black nun dressed in white and a white nun dressed in black. The reader is confronted with the similarities between the two groups, black Moslems and white Christians. Both religions, or organizations, are defined by their appearance. Th individuality of the member is lost to the uniform of the order. Suddenly, the narrator’s own sense of identity lost to the greater group is becoming clear. As a woman from Harlem trips a white man who is chasing some boys, the narrator’s anger is further awakened; he feels he has been duped by the white man and by the Brotherhood. He remembers the yam he once enjoyed on the street and realizes he no longer enjoys the feeling of liberation he had that day. He no longer acts on his feelings without regard to the appearance of things. He is truly lost his individual identity.