Invisible Man Ch. 9 Analysis PDF

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P173 The man carrying the carts with blue paper can be seen as a symbol of black culture. He appeared singing blues and tried to open up a conversation with the narrator with the black man’s banter. However, the narrator was unable to respond because he had distanced himself from that culture for so long. Later on page 174, the narrator commented that he wanted to leave the man, yet he “found a certain comfort in walking beside him, as though we’d walked this way before through other mornings, in other places…” The narrator obviously had never met this man before, hence this feeling of familiarity can be reflective of how he used to be immersed in black culture and would spend time with people like the man. While he does not want to be associated with black culture anymore due to his education, he still belongs to that culture deep down. P174 “Dog” and “bear” are euphemisms for hardships and pain. Hence, the man is explaining that he is suffering through pain when he talked about the bear clawing at his back. P175 The man is carrying many blueprints, some of which have never been used. Blueprints are plans for the future, and the sheer number owned by the black man can be representative of his flexibility as he sees infinitely many possibilities for the future. On the other hand, the narrator disagrees and says that “you have to stick to the plan”, which proves his rigidness. Moreover, the narrator was thinking of the letter, which furthers the fact that he still believes his future is dependent on whites. P177 The narrator reflected on the strangeness of the song, realizing that he had heard it all his life. The song can be representative of the black man’s language: the narrator used to speak it, but he has detached himself from it. He realized that he was incapable of love because he wanted to go far, which required detachment. This can be reflective of how he detaches himself from the black culture in order to fit in more with the whites to achieve success. Still, he was amazed by how the man could whistle a three-tone chord, proving his appreciation for his culture despite his unwillingness to admit it. P178 The counterman assumed that the narrator was a southerner and offered him a southern dish, which annoyed the narrator. He still believed that New York would bring him to change, and he sought to pursue that change by ordering a northern meal. However, that change is superficial. It is not really an “act of discipline” as the narrator perceived, nor will it make him stand out more as he believes. It is merely an act, a performance that makes it seem like that he has changed. Later, he thought of tipping the counterman, as if it would elevate his status. This is another performance he wanted to put up to prove to himself his change and importance. While the narrator could put on a mask of change, he is still the same inside. His perception is undermined

when he saw a blonde northerner eating pork chops, which proves that his act of change was worthless in substance. P179 Only when the narrator is away from the campus that he is able to realize the difference between Dr. Bledsoe’s appearance and reality. He realized that as the students fantasized about the doctor’s activities, they unknowingly granted him greater power as they are imposing their fantastical assumptions onto the doctor. Although it is likely that the doctor did not do any of the things the students dreamt about, the students still think he did because they believed in their own assumptions. P180 The world map in Emerson’s office is indicative of the white’s global power. The exotic items in the room can be symbolic of how the white exerts influence over cultures globally as they are able to obtain these objects from around the world. P181 The items available in the college museum were almost all from slavery times. It seems as if that is the only history deemed worth remembering to the whites. Perhaps it is because they want to remind the black students of their roots and show them how far they have come, hence making them content with their current lives. The narrator commented that he preferred to look at photographs of the early days after the civil war, which reflects how he does long for freedom. However, he explains that “he had not looked even at these too often”. His dismissal of history can be deleterious as it is by remembering the history that we do not repeat it. Since the narrator is not willing to acknowledge the history of suffering, he leaves his ancestor’s efforts in vain. P182 The birds suddenly began “fluttering and beating their wings maliciously against the bamboo bars, only to settle down just as suddenly when the door opened and the blonde man stood beckoning”. Their positions are quite similar to that of black men. They are trapped in a cage made by white men from which they want to escape, however, they do not have to courage to show their rebellious nature in front of the white man. P184 Young Emerson spoke of how ambition can be blinding, which fits the narrator’s case. His ambition to become someone like Dr. Bledsoe had made him dismiss all evidence that proves he will not achieve his dreams. The narrator is living in an illusion in which he is enroute to success when in fact he has already been pushed far off his original path. Young Emerson’s anger is likely due to his sympathy for the narrator. He is annoyed that the narrator cannot see the truth that lied so blatantly in the sun.

P185 When young Emerson became frustrated, one side of his face “had begun to twitch and swell”. It is interesting that his whole face does not react at once. Perhaps one side is the mask he puts on for his father while the other side is representative of his true emotions. P187 When the narrator speaks of proving his identity, Young Emerson replies with “who had any identity anymore anyway”. This connects to the theme of individuality, as black men are not seen as individuals by white men and are instead treated as a group. This is further exemplified by Young Emerson’s statement that white men still view black men as Jim from Huck Finn, which further proves that black men are seen as a mob that has no separate identity and instead behave in a way that set in stone. P191 The narrator commented that “he could not believe it, yet he had a feeling that it all had happened before”. There is a similarity between Bledsoe sending the narrator off and the narrator getting sent to college: his future was determined by someone else, the man in power. While the two events are quite different, they both resulted from the narrator getting what the oppressor thought he deserved. P193 The narrator’s act of whistling the tune he heard can be an indication of him embracing his culture once more. This is further exemplified later when he described that the whistle was like a “tissue-paper-against-the-teeth-of-a-comb”. His quick way of speech is similar to the way of speaking of the man with the blue paper. P194 The robin in the song is comparable to the narrator. The narrator reworded the letter into “please hope him to death and keep him running”. This showcases that the narrator is finally realizing the truth of his situation. Doctor Bledsoe is merely giving the narrator false hope to drive him away from the campus. By giving him the letters, the narrator is kept running to achieve something that he will never get. This also explains how the narrator “had a feeling that it all had happened before” when he read the letter directed to Emerson on page 191. In both cases, the narrator is forced to keep running by some oppressor, striving to achieve something that is ultimately worthless. In the end, he is following a path the white men want him to follow, a path that has no end....