At this meeting we continued with our attempts to understand how Ellison is using various stylistic and structural techniques to support the novel as a unified whole. We also began to prod ourselves to not just make observations about the text but to also make bold assertions about what we think is going on in the novel. In other words, we tried stating unequivocably: "This is what this book is concerned with, primarily." Mr. Cook noted that this endeavor -- making bold assertions -- requires some confidence and the willingness to defend one's assertion and / or concede its limitations when others react to it. I noted that in many of the quotation response journals, this was a skill that many in the class seem reluctant to try out, which is natural, but it's a skill that students should begin to exercise.
In the meeting, students made very shrewd observations about the text, nevertheless. One student noted how the nature of the IM's development changes dramatically after the first half of the novel. There is a new immediacy to the narrative, as both the reader and the IM himself has a somewhat limited perspective of the forces that are pushing and pulling him in the second half of the novel. This gives the narrative more urgency and less ironic distance -- there isn't so much of a "look at how foolish I was" tone to the voice, but rather a tone of direct engagement and bewilderment with what's going on. However, the student noted, this is tempered by the narrator's new attitude, which is less personally bound up in others' opinions of him and can deflect others' aggression more easily.
We thought quite a bit about some of the other refrains of the book, particularly the Grandfather's voice insisting that the IM should "yes" his oppressors to death, and we noted that the IM never comes to a complete understanding of this advice. At the end of the novel, it is still possible that the advice is poisonous or destructive, yet the IM contextualizes it differently. This observation led to a discussion of Ellison's choices of metaphor, how many seem so obvious and rather simple, only to become impossibly complicated when one turns them over in one's mind. Ellison plays with the light and dark imagery, whiteness and blackness, etc., so thoroughly that the metaphors flicker between a stark simplicity and bottomless complexity. And yet we noted that Ellison seems to be aware of the comedic value of using such heavy handed metaphor occasionally. In short, the book reveals problems but doesn't solve them.
One student noted her disappointment with the IM during the riot scene as he willingly participates in the burning of a tenement building. He even expresses some pride in the people for conceiving and carrying out a demonstration of social protest. Of course, the reality of this situation is brought home to the IM shortly after lighting the fire: it is a futile and self-defeating spectacle. But this scene led us to wonder why Ellison includes so many instances in which the IM is behaving in a manner that is almost repulsive to the reader.
The most difficult questions of the day were the following:
Why doesn't the IM tell Mary about his involvement with the Brotherhood?
What is the meaning of the Clifton / Sambo doll episode? Why would Clifton debase himself so much, and what is his understanding of what he is doing?
For the second question, we began by trying to simply take note of all of the minute details of the scene -- the doll's two faces, the movement of the crowd, the dancing motion of the doll, the particular strings that must be pulled, etc. -- and tried to connect some of the images and behaviors to other motifs throughout the book in order to make some meaning.
We made some tentative meaning out of the observations I've noted above, but I've left them open for the benefit of those who were not there and will comment on them. I will send around an email soon regarding a date for our fourth and final meeting to discuss Wide Sargasso Sea. Thanks, Mr. Telles.
Trying to make a bold statement about the book: This book is about becoming one of the mass. Through out the the book people are seen through the lens of race. There are white people and black people and some categories of white people and some categories of black people but no individuals.
ReplyDeleteThrough out the book the narrator tries to become different types of black person. He tries to be a upper class black student. Then a norther black person. Then one of the brother hood. He also see people with in these groups. He sees the people like the Truebloods and the Golden Day group as a group "Uneducated". When people refused to fit a mold they were frowned upon or deemed dangerous. Dr. Bledsoe illustrates this when he says that the black man that spoken like he was from the north should be locked away.
White people are guilty of seeing African Americans as a single entity when white characters spoken to the narrator they never spoke just about him. They spoke about him and the rest at college or him and his people or him and the other black men at the factory.
The brothers are similar as they had rules and expected behaviors they believed deviating from these rules was dangerous.
I think that IM may of never told Mary about the Brotherhood because she is someone who values individuality when he first in countered her she made a point of saying that she had not allowed new york to change her. Maybe he felt that she would disapporved of new york having changed him.
The IM knows who he is throughout the entire novel. From beginning to end there were similarities in his reactions regardless of the many different ways he may have spoken or behaved. The one commonality that stood out to me was his strong and consistent response to being dubbed a "liar." Nearly all figures whom he tried to please by conforming to their ideals accused him of lying. This includes Bledsoe, Brockaway, and Jack. Each had a reason for doing so, yet in the IM's opinion, one that was completely unfounded and outrageous considering his outbursts following each accusation. Also, his opinions of right and wrong seem to have been very well established. He knew the wrong of paying Trueblood for incest, his stomach turned at the vet's manipulation and trickery in the Golden Day, he understood the sin of Bledsoe's degrading letters, and the eviction of the black couple. Never once did he falter in choosing his side on these issues, and his only flaw in identity was the eagerness we all share to "fit in." I believe Ellison wished to accentuate the necessity of the individual and a person's internal value, by showing the stanch opposite in the IM's decisions. By providing the image of a clearly corrupt and sinful world, he showed us the danger of conforming to such an expectation.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Clifton's doll is concerned, it seemed eerily similar to the IM's "yessing" technique. Upon discovering the evils of the Brotherhood, and their unethical approach to the people as a single mass, both characters seemed to wish to perform a sort of "screw you" in the direction of such an organization. They just so happened to adopt different methods. While the IM chose to work from the inside, and simply help them destroy themselves, Clifton set up an outside operation. The puppetry of the doll represented the restricting control the Brotherhood used when dealing with its members. The freedom to perform a dance other than the one they instructed you to was as invisible as our main character. As communist society's often do, the picture they present to the surrounding world is that of a perfect environment, regardless of the actual condition of the area. So it is with the doll's expressions. Both are smiling, a fake way of symbolizing the over-confidence of the Brotherhood in dominating its workers and the community. The dolls are cardboard and flat, same as the ideals people like the invisible man present to the community without the freedom to adapt them or fill them with personal passion. Flimsy and deceiving, the organization would collapse as Clifton did for his efforts of revealing the truth. If he had crossed over to Ras's side, he would not have represented a black person in such a un-empowering manner, he wouldn't have cared that the IM was an old friend, he would have offered him much more than simply a cursory glance.
Overall, this book kept my attention pretty well with the constant changing in the narrator's personality. But, I must say the ending disappointed me greatly starting with the scene when he takes advantage of Sybil. After finding out he isn't going to get anymore information out of her, he still keeps feeding her drinks and she tries to seduce him. I think bringing her home with him was one of his worst ideas yet because if he were caught by the husband (like he was previously with another woman) or the Brotherhood found out, he would be dead. Then when he finds out a riot is going on and he is needed, he drags Sybil out and she winds up causing a ton of mischief. Next, the narrator partakes in joining a group that is robbing the store then burning down the buildings. Wasn't he just against all the destructive rioting?! Lastly he winds up giving up everything and hiding underground for the rest of his life. He worked so hard for everything, then he just gives it all up! The absolute end aggravates me the most out of the entire book.
ReplyDeleteI am also agitated by the fact that the narrator tries to be Rinehart of all people. Yes, Rinehart has power, but everything he represents is not what the narrator wants to be. He just gets himself into more trouble when he puts the hat and glasses on.
All and all though, I was impressed with the book. It really opened my eyes to see what it was like to be in the narrator's shoes or just generally a black citizen during that time. It shows how hard someone could work and then loose it all in the end.
Regarding the mentioning of IM's participation in the riot, and Ellison's unsavory portrayals of him throughout he book, I'll attempt a bold assertion: This is done so that we see the book in our own eyes, not IM's. The imperfections give the book more of a sense of reality. Ellison is not giving IM an aura of purity and innocence. Thus, we are unable to see the book as a black and white tale of good and evil. There are numerous shades of grey, and they have us probing from our own perspective, albeit with the enhancement of the those of the characters in the book, especially IM. But that is where our use of IM in attempting to understand the book ends. We are unable to become comfortable in identifying with IM, and thus we are discouraged from trying to do so and see the book through his eyes entirely. Ellison's periodic portrayals of situations the reader might find unsettling catapult us out of the comfortable rut of identification and into seeing the book through our own eyes.
ReplyDeleteIt is only in this way that we can recognize and understand what the book has to offer in terms of ideas and problems. With a step back, the book is less about the world IM is used and abused by, and more about his place in that world's intricate web, the patterns of which can only be deciphered from this view.
For a quick generalization about my feelings on the novel Invisible Man, I felt frustration. I was frustrated by the willingness of the main character to take advantage of two attention-starved women. I especially felt frustrated with the narrator’s plan to take advantage of Sybil, the second neglected wife, to find out information about the Brotherhood. He could have found more honorable ways to seek out information, but he had to prey on another low self-esteem woman, even though Sybil was more than willing to sleep with him.
ReplyDeleteDuring his episode with Sybil, I felt aggravated when the main character played the role of a black man raping a woman. I felt that this conformed with the false image perceived by the white culture of the black race.
However, I think the main character conformed before that when he joined the Brotherhood. The narrator did whatever the Brotherhood asked of him. For this reason, the Clifton and Sambo doll scene really stuck to me. Clifton manipulated the doll with the strings at his back to do whatever he wanted the doll to do. I felt that this was what Clifton and the rest of the Brotherhood was doing to the main character – pulling his strings to do whatever they wanted him to do.
At the end of the book, the main character was trapped underground. He burned the items that individualized him, including his high school diploma. A high school diploma is something to be proud of, and by burning his diploma, he stripped away another piece of his pride. I felt frustrated, again, when the main character originally planned on staying underground. He was letting all the people in society that doubt him win! I felt a little relieved though when the main character planned on leaving his underground safe haven to battle the injustices of society once again. And I hoped he would win the battle.
The novel as a whole left me very frustrated but by the end I was giving a big sigh of relief. It was almost annoying how through out the book the narrator felt like by doing what everyone else was doing, he was being himself. Even if things weren’t the ways he wanted, he felt like he belonged and that was all that matter on the surface. The final line in the story was so satisfying after watching him deprive himself of his own identity the whole story.
ReplyDeleteOne of my main problems is Ellison’s lack of solving problems as it was brought up in the discussion. He creates this big dramatic build up and then leaves you to solve it rather than the IM. In a sort of confusing way I felt like it was his own way of letting us be ourselves. We follow the story and the IM, in the same way that the IM follows the ideas and wishes of everyone else. I felt like we all have our own thoughts and the meaning behind the advice from his grandfather that was always ringing in his ear was for us to figure out and interpret on our own.
Of all the characters in the book I felt like Rinehart was the most crucial. Though he was multiple things, all of which the IM didn’t really want to be deep down in his heart, he showed him freedom. The ability to be whoever he wanted; bad or good. Though it was interesting that Ellison made him fall into the same pattern of following everyone else. He saw freedom in Rinehart, and yet he copied his freedom. It really made me wonder if he would ever be able to break from this vicious cycle.
It’s overall a very bizarre book.
I knew, as soon as I started reading, that this was not my cup of tea (or coffee for those who prefer coffee over tea). It was just really frustrating for me to read through a narrator that went through everything I went against. Everything was just really uncomfortable for me, because I could imagine most of these things happening in front of me. It was just really disturbing for me to read certain parts. However, I would like to say that I was somewhat pleased with Mary. She was one of those characters that went at their own pace, and didn’t care about the having to assimilate to fit in, even if it was the norm to have your surrounding (New York) change who you were. Although I slightly frown upon the IM for not telling Mary, I am kind of glad he did not tell her, because she could be ignorant of the fact that the IM had been changed, especially since he changed for the worse (as seen later in the book).
ReplyDeleteAs I have said, it was hard for me to read. I dislike people who take advantage of others who are vulnerable and hypocrites, which was what the IM turned into. He had taken advantage of Sybil to try and wheedle information from her, and when that didn’t work, he had taken her home with him. Not soon after, he had participated in a riot (robbing and burning a building), which he was previously against.
The whole book isn’t just split into good and evil, (although I seem to see more evil than good), although it does make a clear separation between black and white, a fine line between two different races. During most of my reading, one could clearly see that the white people didn’t see the black people as human, but rather more along the lines of entertainment, pests, dangerous, etc. Occasionally, the IM’s action was only making such titles true, and it was extremely hard for me to carefully read the words on the paper at such times, that I had times where I would take a quick break to stop myself from just yelling out in aggravation.
Why are you doing something so stupid to degrade yourself and others over something that could be accomplished after some logical thinking!! Show them that you aren’t just some insect or whatever that they can step all over, cringe away from, and throw away in disgust!! Show them that you’re better than what they think you really are!!
Such thoughts would overcome me, before I would calm myself that this wasn’t real, and continue reading. I was so relieved when I finished that I just tossed the book down and didn’t even glance at it until now…
At the conclusion of Invisible Man, I was left with an incomplete and somewhat unsure feeling. I want to be told more, but at the same time appreciate that so many questions were left to the interpretation of each reader. I strongly agree with what Wes said about Ellison's writing technique allowing for this open interpretation to take place.
ReplyDeleteFor the majority of the book I thought that the Invisible Man was growing as a character. My view at the end however, was that his character was actually very similar throughout ninety percent of the novel. True, there is no denying the distinct confidence and strength that he obtained in the second half, but it wasn't until the very end that I saw him really develop (whether it be for better or worse). From his early days at college up through his life within the Brotherhood, the Invisible Man was always trying to fit one specific characterization (whether it be the college student, generic employee, Brotherhood member...etc). It is at the end however where he starts to think on his own and make assertions without the support or guidance of a stronger force.
On the topic of Mary, I too wonder why the Invisible Man didn't mention the Brotherhood to her. I also wished that she had played a more significant role in the novel. I think we discussed this at the last meeting as well and many people were in agreement. For one, she would have been the only major character that was a female, and also a motherly figure for the narrator.
I briefly brought it up a moment ago, but the final chapter and the epilogue really puzzled me. As I mentioned in one of my quotation responses, I've had a hard time coming to any concrete opinions on many of the ideas in this book. Usually I am opinionated and argue my view (sorry guys :\ haha) but this book has, at least temporarily, changed my ability to do that. Even when writing the quotation responses I found myself second guessing my own beliefs. In many ways I too am disappointed in the narrator for giving up everything he had worked so hard for. At the same time however, I like to think that his thoughts are now more his and his ideas are personal, rather than pushed on him by someone else.
While this book did frustrate me at times, I definitely enjoyed it and would be interested in rereading it in a few years to see how my own perspectives on it will have changed.
I found I was much more comfortable reading the last few chapters of Invisible Man than I was reading the majority of the book. After Clifton's death, I found that the Invisible Man was disillusioned in some ways, but enlightened in others. He became more of an independent character rather than a tool of his college, the paint factory, and finally the Brotherhood. I think that the relationship between Clifton’s death and the Invisible Man’s realization that being a part of the Brotherhood did not establish him as an individual is summarized clearly in the passage in which he says that Clifton chose to “fall out of history”; the Invisible Man realized that within the Brotherhood, he was just another actor. On his own, however, he could be an individual. The beginning of his development as an individual is highlighted at Clifton’s funeral, when he makes the speech about Clifton being dead and no one at the funeral really knowing or remembering Clifton as an individual. It is also in this scene where he looks at the faces of the attendees of the funeral and realizes that they are not just a group of people, they are a group of individuals. I think this is an important development for the Invisible Man because he realizes then that the movement he fought for was not important to a group, it was important to a group of individuals.
ReplyDeleteThe Sambo doll scene was home to another important realization by the Invisible Man. The reason for Clifton’s fall from grace at first completely eluded me. However, after I read past the funeral scene and realized how damaging and limiting the Brotherhood was the the Invisible Man and saw that in the novel, he was beginning to realize these limitations, I pieced together Clifton’s reason for leaving the Brotherhood: he realized he was a tool, and that within the group, he was strong and powerful, but for all the wrong reasons. He was playing a part within the Brotherhood, and this realization was either too sudden or too powerful for Clifton to handle. Either way, he left the Brotherhood without further word, and in his bitterness sold the very stereotype he worked against: the Sambo doll. When the Invisible Man came upon this scene, he was also angry and confused about why Clifton changed from one extreme to the other. Seeing the Sambo doll dance did not affect him in the way that it would have affected others. Instead, he realized that the doll was just paper - a flimsy and destructible representation of a stereotype that was equally lacking in support.
The end seemed hopeful to me, which severely contrasted what I expected when I read the prologue. I knew that the epilogue and prologue would connect, but I am of the opinion that Ellison made the prologue so harsh just to contrast the epilogue. The whole time I was reading the book, I was dreading the inevitably depressing end where he elaborated on his status as an “invisible man”. When I finally read the end, however, I realized how beautiful the idea of an invisible man was, and that the real moral of the novel was that in a race-free world, we would all be invisible - invisible but not unnoticed. His conflicting views on love and hate also seemed to me to be hopeful. After all, living through so much that would generally shut a person down seemed to bring purpose to the Invisible Man. I found that though the book as a whole had uncomfortable content and was emotionally difficult to read, it was a powerful and rewarding piece of literature.
I felt that invisible man was an easier book to read then invisible cities, because it followed more of a story line. It simply followed the life of the narrator, as opposed to chapters being nothing but descriptions of different cities.
ReplyDeletethis second half of the book felt like more of a story, or more like i was there, because the fraternal started to make his own thoughts about the world. Even though he was still being told what to due by a larger group, he was slowly figuring out who he was, and fighting the system. although this book left you off on a cliff hanger, because just as he was beginning to realize that he was an invisible man in this life completely influenced by out side players. I also really like who they through the name in the book into the story, kind of like movies some times due, and this is the only book do due it with out of are summer reading because i don't see them saying " and that is why i am an invisible city/wide sargasso sea" that just sounds silly.
There were a lot of interesting points that people pointed out, such as the fact that the narrator saw himself through his surroundings, whether it is a good or bad thing that he does not find himself, and that the world is right and the individual is wrong.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning, from the university all the way through to the Brotherhood, he sees himself from his surroundings rather as himself. In the epilogue, it was said that he was to think for himself rather than as someone else. When he gone underground into hiding, people pointed out that the reader cannot tell whether the IM was able to find himself, and in such a way, it is impossible to determine if such an act is good or bad. (Though I think most readers would find that the whole point of the book was for the IM to find himself, so it would be natural for most readers to hope that he did, in fact, find himself.)
It was also pointed out that in the book, it is implied that the world is right and that the individuals were wrong. Therefore, in order to be in the right, the individual must assimilate themselves within the world to be a part of the right. In one of my passages:
“ ‘… There are two ways to escape suffering it. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and become such a part of it that you can no longer see it. The second is risky and demands constant vigilance and apprehension: seek and learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of the inferno, are not inferno, then make them endure, give them space.’ ” (Calvino 165)
Obviously, the actions of the IM indicate that he took the first way that others also took, and therefore lost a way to find himself and drowned himself within the mass. Mary, however, had taken the other way to survive (she did not allow New York to change her), and in such a sense, I was able to find a small connection from the IM to Marco Polo’s advice on survival.