Chapters 17-18
Invisibility is a prominent theme throughout Invisible Man, and it reappears in chapters 17 and 18 through IM’s interactions with Brother Jack. After starting his lessons with Brother Hambro, IM becomes increasingly caught up in his studies and readings, eventually leading him to see less and less of Brother Jack. When Brother Jack finally contacts IM and takes him out for a drink, IM seems to appear almost invisible to him. IM describes his conversation with Brother Jack, stating, “He looked at me as though he did not see me” (359). In this moment, IM finds himself confused with Brother Jack’s manner, as he is unable to interpret the look on his face. IM is left with a feeling of invisibility because Brother Jack looks at him without really seeing him. This idea of invisibility to specifically Brother Jack is interesting since Brother Jack was the one who originally was so motivated to acquire IM as a spokesperson in the Brotherhood. Now it seems as if Brother Jack has lost interest in IM, and even though IM is becoming increasingly well known, he appears less visible to Brother Jack.
IM’s invisibility to Brother Jack also seems apparent during their meeting regarding Wrestrum’s charges against IM. Brother Jack plays the role of a mediator between Wrestrum’s argument and IM’s defense, and shows no pity or any sign of feeling for IM. IM describes Brother Jack’s face as being “completely neutral”, during his accusation from Wrestrum. As Brother Jack presides over the case in an expressionless, “neutral”, and judge-like manner, IM starts to feel traces of anger swelling within him. IM’s anger is fueled in part because of the accusations themselves, but also because of Brother Jack’s expressionless face, which makes IM feel invisible to his connections shared with Brother Jack. IM is struck by Brother Jacks “bland manner” when discussing IM’s situation (404). Brother Jack reveals little emotion towards IM, his “bland” appearance giving the impression that he doesn’t really care or have much interest in IM or his fate at all. Brother Jack fails to bail IM out from his charges, not cutting him any slack whatsoever. Jack even seems somewhat critical of IM, saying that IM is only innocent regarding “the magazine article” (404). Brother Jack seems to acknowledge Wrestrum’s idea that IM used the brotherhood to attain his own individualist ideals, and even after they deal the punishment to IM, Jack and the other members of the brotherhood were described to have “blank finality in their eyes” (406). The repeating bland and emotionless expressions on the faces of Brother Jack and the other brothers make IM seem unexciting, unimportant, and invisible to them. Brother Jack seems to have no feeling of regret or uncertainty after he punishes IM, and moves on from the decision without any interest in how IM feels. The friendship and interest that Brother Jack previously displayed for IM when he brought him into the Brotherhood demonstrated how visible IM and his skills were to Jack. But during this attack against IM as well as the conversation shared at the bar, IM becomes invisible to Brother Jack.
Chapter 19
In chapter 19, the theme of invisibility is portrayed through IM’s interactions with the white woman after sleeping with her, as well as his interactions with the husband. Following his speech on the women’s cause, IM is invited over to spend the night at the white woman’s house. IM describes his unfamiliarity with this type of situation, saying, “It was not merely the background of wealth and gracious living, to which I was alien, but simply the being there with her and the sensed possibility of a heightened communication; as though the discordantly invisible and the conspicuously enigmatic were reaching a delicately balanced harmony” (411). IM finds himself “alien” to the world of the wealthy white woman and refers to himself as “the discordantly invisible” in her presence. IM then refers to the white woman as “conspicuously enigmatic”, someone who is standoffish and mysterious, the complete opposite of the quiet and closed off nature of IM. IM is acknowledging his insignificance as a poor African American when compared to the wealthy white woman, contrasting his invisibility with her very visible and conspicuous nature. He describes himself as “discordant” in this scene, appearing out of place in this “enigmatic” or puzzling environment. IM explains that while he is invisible to the rich lifestyle of the white woman because of his different background, he is even further alienated with the possibility of interaction and communication between her because of their extreme contrasting natures.
IM is also invisible due to the imperceptibility of the Brotherhood and the imperceptibility of the white woman’s husband towards his sexual actions with the white woman. IM is terrified that someone might have found out about his night with the white woman and constantly asks himself the questions, “Could I have seen him without his seeing me? Or again, had he seen me and been silent out of sophistication, decadence, over-civilization?” (418). IM is convinced that the woman’s husband may have seen him in bed with her after coming home early from a business trip and even peering into the room that IM was hiding in. However, IM goes unnoticed by the husband throughout the next day, stating that the man IM suspected to be the husband, had “given no definite sign that he had seen me” (418). IM even calls the white woman and when talking with her, there is “no mention of the night or the man” (419). The inability of the husband to recognize and see IM’s actions, and the white woman’s concealment of his actions, lead IM to appear invisible throughout chapter 19. Even though IM committed a questionable act, his actions go under the radar, demonstrating a level of invisibility about him. IM shows how even the Brotherhood is oblivious to his crime, proclaiming he “tried to detect any changes in my relations with Brother Jack and the others, but they gave no sign” (419). IM’s invisibility in chapter 19 gives him a level of security not experienced before, allowing his sinful behavior with the white woman to be hidden from the husband and the Brotherhood.
I think that you guys raise a really good point in your analysis of Chapter 19; Invisible Man, despite living in fear of the ramifications of his actions, is able to do things under invisibility. Perhaps this is because of societal/stereotypical constructs of the black man. As we discussed in class, part of the black stereotype was a ravenous, sex-hungry approach to life. Perhaps Invisible Man is able to actually use his racial stereotypes to his advantage, hiding behind them as a means of staying invisible. If a white man had done what Invisible Man did, he would have undoubtedly faced harsher consequences-because Invisible Man is black, his actions are not brought into question, and he is thus able to remain invisible.
This passage clearly identifies Invisible Man as invisible through his interactions with the woman. At this point in his life, Invisible Man has not confronted his invisibility and he is largely unaware of it. In this moment, he realizes that he is not truly a part of white society and he clearly feels out of place and "alien." I like how you used the example of her husband not seeing him in the bed, or not mentioning it. If he was an important and visible aspect of society, he would have been noticed, but since he is basically invisible and unimportant, he in unnoticed. Great job!
Chapter 20 and 22
Upon spotting Brother Clifton in the street and watching him sell the Sambo dolls, IM experiences an instance of invisibility resulting from Clifton’s new found opposition to the Brotherhood’s ideologies. Brother Clifton leaves the Brotherhood and completely abandons their values, taking to the streets to sell racist and stereotypical “Sambo” dolls. These dolls are puppet figures, embodying the black stereotypes of laziness and dumb playfulness. They also represent the stereotype that blacks will act according to how the white person might influence them, like a puppet. Clifton has grown tired of the Brotherhood mentality, one of working towards a common goal without knowing its real constituents, and has decided to follow his own personal ambitions and feelings, and sell Sambo dolls in the streets. By selling these dolls, Brother Clifton is spreading the negativity of the idea of being a puppet for organizations such as the Brotherhood, while at the same time ignoring the Brotherhood ideals of trying to break free from African American stereotypes. When IM recognizes Clifton on the street corner, he describes his invisibility to Clifton, saying, “his eyes looked past me deliberately unseeing” (432). Brother Clifton is no longer part of the Brotherhood and has broken free from its concept of serving as a puppet. Brother Clifton’s puppet job in the Brotherhood prohibited his ability to be his own individual, and instead, it forced him to be one part of a larger whole, unable to express his own thoughts and personal emotions. Since IM is currently trapped under the blindness of the Brotherhood towards individuals, IM is invisible to Clifton. Clifton has turned his back on the ideology of working without knowing what you’re truly working for, and therefore has turned his eyes away from people like IM, making IM invisible.
The scene in chapter 22 where IM and Brother Jack argue regarding IM’s personal actions demonstrate again the growing invisibility of those who fall on opposite sides of the Brotherhood ideologies, which in this case is IM. BrotherJack is angry with IM because IM made it his personal responsibility to support Brother Clifton after his murder. The Brotherhood strongly supports the ideology that individual responsibilities must be left to the judgment of the Brotherhood as a whole, and not ones self interests. In other words, IM is going against the brothers’ philosophy by acting upon his own will to support an African American who turned his back on the Brotherhood, even though he the African American was killed mainly because of his race. IM states in argument to Brother Jack, “But hell, isn’t the shooting of an unarmed man of more importance politically than the fact that he sold obscene dolls?” demonstrating his own personal opinion on the shooting of Brother Clifton (467). However, Brother Jack doesn’t care about IM’s individual concerns because they are not presented to and fully supported by the Brotherhood. IM responds to this idea, thinking to himself, “sacrifice…yes, and blindness; he doesn’t see me. He doesn’t even see me” (475). Brother Jack wants IM to “sacrifice” himself for the good of the Brotherhood and take on his tasks as a pawn for the greater community, accepting the “blindness” that comes with them. Although IM acknowledges Brother Jack’s ideas, he explains that Brother Jack doesn’t really “see me”. IM’s desire to be an individual, that shares the knowledge of all matters in the Brotherhood, proves contrary to the ideologies Brother Jack wishes to see enacted. Moreover, IM’s actions make him invisible to Brother Jack, because of Jack’s frank desirability for individualistic ideals to be hidden from Brotherhood behavior.
Chapter 23
Invisible Man experiments with his invisibility in Chapter 23, finding out both its negative and positive effects. IM ultimately makes the decision to utilize invisibility as a tool for his personal manipulation and a way of undermining the white American system.
IM begins experimenting with his invisibility by impersonating Mr. Rinehart, an important figure in Harlem. IM puts on a large hat and dark sunglasses, stating about his new attire, “They were of a green glass so dark that it appeared black, and I put them on immediately, plunging into blackness and moving outside”(482). After disguising himself as Mr. Rinehart, IM walks around downtown Harlem experiencing life through a different perspective. IM explains that while people can still see him with his disguise on, “They’d think I was someone else” (484), giving IM an overall sense of personal invisibility, as it is not really him they are seeing, but the image of Rinehart. As he has done the whole book, IM is conforming to the appearance that others wish to see, rather than enacting his own individuality. IM describes his experiences by stating, “I trembled with excitement; they hadn’t recognized me”(485). By “plunging into blackness” and taking on the appearance of someone else, IM finds “excitement” that people cannot recognize him. IM explains, “No one paid me any special attention, although the street was alive with pedestrians…”(493). IM finds security in his newfound invisibility and the fact that no one pays him any “special attention”, as he is free to walk the streets without the judgment from others, or being chased by Ras the Exhorter and his followers.
After thoroughly testing his newfound invisibility, IM begins to recognize the problems and concerns he has with being completely invisible to society. IM explains, “I suddenly felt a nameless despair”, leaving the impression that being invisible and “nameless” in society accompanies a feeling of loneliness and “despair” (497). IM begins to question his disguise of someone else saying, “If dark glasses and a white hat could blot out my identity so quickly, who actually was who?” (493). By recognizing that altering an identity is so easy and fast, IM starts to feel creeping questions about society in general and whether or not people are actually who they appear to be. Eventually, IM begins to resent his invisibility and the numerous people that “don’t recognize him”, or pay him no “special attention”, and states, “Suddenly I couldn’t stand it. Look at me! Look at me!” (505). IM’s desire for recognition as an individual combined with people looking passed him and “as though I were not there”, leads IM to acknowledge the dangers of complete invisibility in society (505).
Even though IM finds consistent problems with his invisibility, the benefits and the sense of power that comes with being unseen to the people around him ultimately leads IM to accept invisibility over “big history” fame. IM talks about appearing invisible to the outside world, “You could actually make yourself anew”. This idea greatly intrigues IM, as he is constantly escaping his mistakes from the past, like his experiences with Bledsoe and his labor work in the paint factory. Throughout the entirety of chapter 23, IM tests his invisibility around the streets of Harlem weighing its pros and cons, and it is only towards the end of the chapter that IM makes his final decision on whether to use invisibility to his advantage or to cast it aside and fully give himself to the public as a speaker. IM contemplates, “Well, I was and yet I was invisible, that was the fundamental contradiction. I was and yet I was unseen. It was frightening and as I sat there I sensed another frightening world of possibilities”(507). IM is presented with a contradiction of his ideals; either to become the visible speaker and advocate for his personal ideologies or to remain a disguised Mr. Rinehart like figure and keep himself invisible from others. IM describes this contradiction between ideals as “frightening”, but also filled with a “world of possibilities”, showing his desire to accept invisibility and his new perspective experienced during the day. IM finally states, “I now recognized my invisibility” demonstrating that he finally understands what invisibility means to him personally (508). IM states, “So I’d accept it, I’d explore it. Rine and heart. I’d plunge into it with both feet and they’d gag”(508). IM makes the ultimate decision to accept invisibility as a tool for his own use; to explore it searching for new ways to utilize it and apply it. Realizing he can use his invisibility as fuel for the advice given to him by the vet and his grandfather, IM decides to become his own individual instead of conforming to the group ideology of the brotherhood, using his invisibility to undermine the white American system and to truly become an Invisible Man.
I like the point you make about Brother Clifton and how, having disconnected himself from the Brotherhood and their anti-individualist agenda, he only sees those who truly "know what they are working for." Clifton's eyes glaze over IM and are "unseeing" evidencing his ignorance to people, like IM, who are not true individuals. They are merely being exploited for someone else's ends.
You make a strong point regarding IM's realization of his invisibility. I also think that IM fully grasps the concept of his invisibility and uses it as a means "to undermine the white American system," but also view it as a complete rebirth and break from his past. By understanding the concept of being unseen, but present at the same time, IM can successfully manipulate white society. He no longer is disillusioned and entrenched in the hierarchy of white society, in which every single American's goal is to further themselves in their own economic opportunity. IM now sees that he comprises the small histories, whether he likes it or not, and that everyone, all the citizens of America, should focus internally on their small histories instead of trying to be recognized as a significant part of big history.
I liked the part about IM realizing that Brother Jack does not see him. I think that the fact that Jack only has one real eye really adds to the his figurative "blindness". Just like the other instances when IM feels invisible, his invisibility is mostly due to the fact that Jack cannot see him for who he truly is, and is not the case that IM tries to be invisible. Like you guys have pointed out, it is not the fault of IM that he is unable to be seen, but it is the racism inherent in the people he interacts with that makes him invisible. Because others believe in racial stereotypes, they don't see IM as a person, but as a collection of stereotypes. I noticed that a theme in these entries was that despite any notable actions that IM took (speaking on the Woman Question, organizing the rally for Clifton), people still refused to see IM for who he really was, seeing him instead for his race.
Chapter 25
IM’s internal struggle for individuality climaxes in chapter 25, where he finally breaks free of the existential bonds of multiple ideologies, and leads him in the epilogue to recognize and cherish his own invisibility. Throughout the story IM has been constantly taking in different ideologies, with advice given to him by his grandfather, the vet, Brother Jack, Norton, and Bledsoe. In search to find visibility and a way of making a mark on the world by following one of these paths, IM tries to piece together the one right way of living out his inner self. Although IM attempted to take on all these contrasting ideologies, the confrontation in chapter 25 with Ras the destroyer brings him a true epiphany regarding his outlook on society. He realizes, while facing death from Ras and his angry mob, that Ras is the one forcing people to conform to his own outlook on society, the same way that the Brotherhood tried to persuade IM to accept their ideology as correct. It is in this moment, that IM “recognized the absurdity of the whole night” (559). IM discovers that Ras and the Brotherhood have the same common goal: to control people to the point where they fully invest in their one “right” ideology. He describes these attempts at “absurdity”, finally realizing that there is no one right path to take. If IM allowed Ras to have his control over the streets, it would have let Ras and the Brotherhood “move one fraction of a bloody step closer to a definition of who they were and of what I was and had been” (559). IM uncovers the truth that he does not want to be simply a tool of the brotherhood, playing their game of conformity and letting their idea of only one ideology define him. He says that “I was invisible, and hanging would not bring me to visibility” (559). IM has decided that there are multiple ways of navigating through societies ills, and thinking there is one right way is just “absurdity”. Therefore since there are multitudes of people in the world that all have their own individuality and ideology, IM is “invisible” in the grand scheme of things. With this in mind, IM throws a spear at Ras and escapes from the scene, escaping from influence altogether.
After running his way into the hole, IM ponders his invisibility, searching to find within himself the definition of his own individuality. Literally being in a hole, the dark basement area serves as a symbolism for IM truly coming to terms with his invisibility. He thinks things over, coming to the conclusion that “men are different and that all life is divided and that only in division is there true health” (576). He claims that everyone is “different” and “divided”, so Ras’s or the Brotherhood’s ideology couldn’t have served as the overarching way of thinking for so many different people. Freedom of the individual resonates with him, and thus shows him that people can find “true health”, or in other words the ideology that suits them. IM realizes that an identity is the most significant thing a person can obtain. He talks about outside influences, stating, “if they follow this conformity business they’ll end up by forcing me, an invisible man, to become white, which is not a color but the lack of one” (577). The nature of “conformity” that so many people are subjected to at the hands of people like Ras, does not give people individuality but gives them “a lack of one”. Moreover, if people conform, they are sacrificing their ability to form their own concept to form their own individual. Thusly speaking, IM has found invisibility the answer to this problem. It allows him to rid himself of conformity that is so visible to others, and replace it with individuality that among the rest of the world is so miniscule. IM states his decision in the epilogue, saying, “I’m shaking off the old skin and I’ll leave it here in the hole. I’m coming out, no less invisible without it, but coming out nevertheless” (581). IM is a new man, free of the “old skin” that for so long had plagued his time in Harlem as well as at the college. He is resigned with his invisibility, holding it tightly as the one thing that defines him, the thing that defines him as the Invisible Man.
I like how you very clearly point out how IM becomes more and more invisible, or at least notices his invisibility more as the last chapters of the book progress. In chapters 17-18 it starts with subtle hints from Brother Jack, and it increases in Ch 19 with the white woman's objectifying of IM and how she sees him only for his "primitive" stereotypes without actually seeing him. During the argument between Brother Jack and IM, IM is constantly reminded that he "wasn't hired to think", and his opinion doesn't really matter, giving him the sense that he is basically invisible to the committee and even the Brotherhood. You end by saying how once he is in the hole, he realizes how everyone throughout the book has made him feel invisible, and he uses this realization to look within himself to find his true self. Your entries tie together very well to make these points clear, great job!
You point out a lot of things I hadn't noticed before and I like a lot of the connections you make. I also agree with Scotty's comment that IM may have been using his invisibility due to racial stereotypes as a shield in chapter 19 to hide in his dangerous situation. I also like the points you make about the changes in chapter 23, first IM enjoying his new sense of invisibility, then suddenly feeling nameless and disliking the fact that he is not recognized and his dilemma with which problem he would rather face. Great work!