Invisible Man

1. Invisible Man Historical Context and Allusions

2. American Society in the1930s • Struggle for racial and gender equality • Ending the era of former slaves, now a segregated nation – De facto vs. De jure segregation in the North and South • Two different types of racism • Jim Crow laws, “separate but equal” • Not really equal – “dispossession” • Reference in the paint factory, adding 10 drops of black chemicals to the “pure white” – not entirely “pure” (10%) • Harlem renaissance: the developing black identity • A culture coming into itself, new freedom of expression • Discontent – free but segregated blacks looking for equality and action (before Civil Rights) • Beginnings of race riots, protests, and movements

3. Ideologies: Groups and Leaders • Fight for equality: rise of Communism and unions in the black community – “Brotherhood” in the novel • Turmoil, protest, race riots • Rasthe Exhorter represents the “black nationalism” ideas that would eventually influence groups such as the Black Panthers • Servile attitudes left over from slavery –Brockway • Dr. Bledsoe keeps his power by giving up his pride; Brother Jack keeps his power by leading under false pretenses • “overcome ‘em with yeses, undermine ‘em with grins…” • Women as the “homemaker” image of the time, a lesser issue • The woman question – a distraction

4. Identity • Ellison uses “the predicament of blacks in America as a metaphor for the universal human challenge of finding a viable identity in a chaotic and sometimes indifferent world.” • American culture: the “melting pot” – easy to lose individual and cultural identity, alluded to in the hospital scene – forgetting his memories, rebirth • “moving out of the fire and into the melting pot” • Personal identity and values, black identity, American identity • IM’s search for his place in society and for his own values • Gets caught up in the values of other causes, not his own – trying on new identities (college, brotherhood, Rinehart)

5. Black Culture’s Influences in America • Harlem Renaissance – music, dance, language, culture • The “old-fashioned” racism vs. Ellison’s modernism • Explores African-American contributions to American culture • Racism in the South (straightforward) vs. North (subtle) • The yam seller – the way to freedom is to embrace one’s own culture and past, accepting yourself – “I yam what I am!” • Trying to be someone else to please others = losing true identity-message of the novel • Being offered pork chops and grits at the diner before, shift

6. Jazz and Blues • Jazz and blues music were very important to the Harlem renaissance because they were a new contribution to America solely from the black community • “Protest music” became a sub-genre • The lyrics, rhythms, and melodies defined black culture in the time period • “What did I do to be so black and blue?” –Louis Armstrong • “London Bridge Blues” • “Back Water Blues” • “Go Down Moses” • “Jelly, Jelly” • Peter Wheatstraw’s blues – stage name of William Bunch • Assumption that “all colored people sing” – 1st Brotherhood party

7. Spiritual Songs • Used throughout the novel as a reference to IM’s racial identity and kinship with the black community • Traditional “slave” songs, spirituals • Pick Poor Robin Clean – violent image, appears when IM realizes Dr. Bledsoe’s real intentions • John Brown’s Body sung at the 1st Brotherhood speech • Spiritual songs relating to Brother Tarp’s story when he gives IM the leg chain

8. Literature, Stories, and Folklore • Allusion to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave • Use of light as enlightenment - theme • Allusions to Dante’s Divine Comedy • Mentioned at the beginning, IM’s journey and realizations parallel Dante’s journey through all of his mistakes to ultimate understanding • Must recognize the problem in order to change • Allusions to the Odyssey • Blind Rev. Barbee acts as Homer, telling the Founder’s tale • The nude dancer at the battle royale is portrayed as a Greek siren, luring IM to danger • Reference to Julius Caesar • “Oration over Brutus’s body” at Tod Clifton’s funeral – traitor • Reference to Uncle Tom’s Cabin • Ras refers to the brothers who allow themselves to be subjugated by whites as “Uncle Toms” • Traditional black folktales • Peter Wheatstraw, a Southern folk character brought to life in the city, brings back memories of IM’s childhood • Brer Rabbit represents the enslaved African who uses his wits to overcome circumstances and get revenge

9. Folktales • The Story of Little Black Sambo • A children’s book written in 1899 • Sambo is a child in British-occupied India who surrenders his colorful shoes, clothes, and umbrella to four hungry tigers so that they will not eat him. They chase each other around a tree until they melt into butter, which Sambo puts on his pancakes. • The story is referred to as “dark iconography” and “pickaninny literature” • “Sambo” has become a racial slur

10. Booker T. Washington • Washington was a former slave who used education to become a leader in the movement for equality. He was known for his speechmaking skills. • “I visualized myself as a young Booker T. Washington” – IM’s dependence on others for identity • Lifting the Veil of Ignorance statue at Tuskegee Institute • “A race, like an individual, lifts itself up by lifting others up.” -Booker T. Washington • The founder and Dr. Bledsoe are both parodies of Washington, showing different amounts of self-interest over concerns for black Americans • Hints at the novel’s assertion that black leaders are not always leaders of black people.

11. Ralph Waldo Emerson • Ellison identified with his namesake Ralph Waldo Emerson because both writers were “outsiders” who were inside the American experience • Emerson as a character in the book is a forward thinker, part of the young generation, and understands the importance of vision • “Ambition will blind you to the truth” • Homosexual, weak sense of identity, issues with his father – parallel to Mr. Norton • The Calamus Club – reference to Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, the section about manly love is titled Calamus • Emerson is referenced again at the end of the novel as a manipulator • “I saw Jack and Norton and Emerson merge into one single figure. They were very much the same, each attempting to force his picture of reality upon me.” • Unclear whether this is about the author or the character Emerson