Prologue:
Power:
The fight scene between Invisible Man and the white man on the street is the very first instance of power we are introduced to in the novel. In analyzing this scene, it is important to keep in mind that the prologue is written once IM has established himself as invisible. “I sprang at him, seized his coat lapels, and demanded that he apologize” (4). IM had just demanded something out of a white man he does not know. He is able to do this because of his awareness of his invisibility, which is something that he does not yet have in Chapters 1 and 2, and thus is why he would never do such a thing in those chapters. Furthermore, during the fight IM “got out my knife and prepared to slice his throat” (4), but shortly after stopped the blade. In that moment, IM had the power to take the life of a white man. The white man was no longer the one exerting power over the black man, which is a major contrast to the pre-invisible days during which the white man possessed the power entirely, for instance, the Battle Royal.
Oratory:
On page 14, IM states “But I am an orator, a rabble rouser--Am? I was, and perhaps I shall be again.” IM introduces us to the fact that he is a skilled public speaker, which proves to be true in chapter 1 with his speech. He then goes on to change his words by saying he was an orator, and perhaps shall be again, which implies that he does not view himself as one in the present. The idea presented of past vs. present relates to the idea of invisible days (prologue) vs. pre-invisible days (following chapters). Perhaps his negative experience in the position of an orator during the Battle Royal (and potentially others further on) has made him reconsider wanting to be associated with such.
Vocab Word:
Bilious (adj.)
Context: “If that happened, I might forget to dodge some bright morning and some cluck would run me down with an orange and yellow street car, or a bilious bus!” (27)
Definition: Spiteful or bad-tempered
Other forms: Biliously (adverb), biliousness (noun), nonbilious (adj.)
Etymology: Latin- bile: “ill-temper” -ous: “full of”
Synonyms: Ornery (more often used to describe people instead of to personify objects), angry (doesn’t always capture the idea of having spite/intention to do harm)
Chapter 1:
Power: Stripper scene at Battle Royal
“They caught her just as she reached a door, raised her from the floor, and tossed her as college boys are tossed at a hazing, and above her red, fixed-smiling lips I saw the terror and disgust in her eyes, almost like my own terror and that which I saw in some of the other boys" (20).
This quote is from the section of Chapter One right before the Battle Royal, when all of the young black men are brought into a room where a white, blonde stripper is standing. As she attempts to leave the room, some of the young men begin tossing her around. Ralph Ellison includes this in the book in an effort to point out the similarities between the treatment of women and blacks by white men. Through physically controlling the woman, those men tossing her around have the ultimate control over her, just as the white men have control over the black men that they brought to this place solely for their own entertainment.
Oratory: Invisible Man’s speech to the “hosts” of the Battle Royal
“'Say that slowly, son!’
‘What, sir?’
‘What you just said!’
‘Social responsibility, sir,’ I said.
‘You weren’t being smart, were you, boy?’ he said, not unkindly.
‘No, sir!’
‘You sure that about ‘equality’ was a mistake?’
‘Oh, yes, sire,’ I said. ‘I was swallowing blood.'" (30-31)
This conversation occurs in the middle of the Invisible Man’s speech. He said the word equality at first, and then corrected himself and used the word “responsibility,” instead. This part of the chapter is significant because it shows that the Invisible Man was sacrificing part of himself in order to please the white men. This is even more evident with the line “I was swallowing blood,” as Ellison made a reference to the ancestral blood of the Invisible Man - the blood of slaves. IM had to swallow his pride in order to avoid a backlash from the white men listening to him. The part of the speech where IM quotes the famous Booker T. Washington is also significant and relates to this theme of degrading oneself in order to please those with more power than you. Washington was famous for being a black man who claimed that complete equality was not necessary and that economic equality was what was most important; there is a parallel between this claim and what IM is doing as they both settle for less than complete equality and avoid the phrase because of the reaction they know they will receive from the white men with power over them.
Vocab Word:
Apoplexy (noun)
Context: “But not yet, the men on the other side were waiting, red faces swollen as though from apoplexy as they bent forward in their chairs” (28).
Definition: loss of control over bodily function as a result of a damaged vein or artery
Other forms: apoplectoid (adj.)
Etymology: Greek - apoplessein: to cripple by a stroke
Synonyms: stroke (not necessarily because of a vein/artery), seizure (generally more related to brain activity)
Chapter 2:
Power and Oratory:
In chapter two we are introduced to an important character, the local oddity Jim Trueblood. As the Invisible Man is driving around Mr. Norton, they find themselves driving by Jim’s house where they see his wife and his daughter who have both been impregnated by him. Fascinated, Mr. Norton makes the Invisible Man stop the car for him to get out. Despite this being something the Invisible Man does not want to do and knows is a bad idea, the white man in the passenger seat remains to have full control over the African American driver. Jim willingly tells Mr. Norton the story of his family and how they got to where they are currently (52-68). Mr. Norton, along with the many other white men who have become interested, find Jim’s horrifying story of committing incest with his daughter amusing. This goes to show how black people are considered to be a form of entertainment in white people’s eyes rather than human beings. On page 53, Jim says “It just goes to show yuh that no matter how biggity a nigguh gets, the white folks can always cut him down”. This quotation sums up the theme of the novel “Invisible Man” so far by explaining that the white race will find any possible way to take control and have power over African Americans in any circumstance.
Vocab Word:
Confounded (adjective)
Context: “He seemed surprised and confounded” -narrator/IM (47)
Definition: to be confused or disturbed
Other forms: Confound (verb), confounder (noun), confoundingly (adverb)
Etymology: confundere- Latin for to pour together (meaning to be confused)
Synonyms: perplexed (to be very confused), nonplus (to be baffled)
Based on our findings as of now, we believe that the purpose of power in the novel is to show how the Invisible Man's realization of invisibility allowed for a power shift, where he no longer let the white men command him or exert their power over him, and instead reversed the roles. As for oratory, we think the purpose is to give insight on the thoughts and actions of individuals throughout the novel instead of limiting the views to just the narrator, since the narrator is potentially unreliable.
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