The narrator in Invisible Man undergoes a lot of dream like sequences of events throughout the novel. in the opening scene of the book, the narrator seems to know who he is and what he wants, that is, before he tells the story of how he got there. The character we've seen up till where we are in the book is clueless to who he is. he's constantly trying to people please and base his identity off of other people. Slowly he learns to start questioning the people and the world around him, but still bases his identify off of other people but in this case instead of people pleasing he's trying to prove people wrong.
For example, up until the narrator is sent away to New York, all he does is try to people please. Specifically Dr Bledsoe, the narrator want's to be his assistant and tries to be the best model student he can be. He doesn't really have a personality of his own and he blindly follows the rules that even the reader questions. Before he's sent off to New York we can see the narrator start to fight back in the sense that he starts questioning Bledsoe's motives and even lashes out at him. However, when he leaves he goes back to his simple minded ways excited about the letters Bledsoe gave him. When he reaches New York, he instantly has a culture shock, most things are so different from the south, the subway particularly frightens him. The narrator after not hearing back about all but one letter, decides to take matters into his own hands where we can start to see him being more independent. However, after Mr Emerson (JR) shows him what the letters really contained he is filled with rage and confusion, he'd been lied to.
After learning the truth, the narrator begins to become more independent trying to do things for himself. However, he still hasn't found his identity for himself because instead of having an identity that pleases De Bledsoe, he strives for an identity that would prove him wrong. At this point in the book, the narrators identity is based off of proving others wrong and him trying to change but not necessarily for himself. He wants to show people how much he's changed, and when anyone tried to put an identity on him he gets defensive and angry. For example, when the narrator goes to get breakfast, he gets something he doesn't really enjoy so that he can prove the server wrong. And when he meets the guy in the street with all the blueprints, when the guy says he's from the south the narrator tries to act like he isn't and doesn't know what he's saying. It's almost like the narrator is trying to wipe and change his identity but not for the right reasons.
Hi, I thought this was a really interesting post! It really follows the narrator's progression and his ideas about identity throughout the novel. I thought the moment where he realized Bledsoe sent him on a wild goose chase really reflected on him ceasing to be the "puppet" of these kinds of people and instead, deciding to pursue his own identity rather than letting that identity be dictated my others. It also recalls the scene where the narrator dreams of his grandfather reading an engraved inscription that (I don't remember the exact quote) states, "Keep that boy running," a representation of how all of these institutions have policies to control black people and keep them in line. It's also kind of interesting how he gets so defensive when he thinks people are stereotyping him. It contrasts with the latest chapters we've read where he actually loses this defensive personality, and embraces his culture when eating his beloved yams ("I am what I yam"). Overall, really interesting post!
ReplyDeleteNice job Lili! I really liked how you explored the narrator's search for identity, which I personally found super interesting as well. His whole life had been shaped by other people and other things, similar to Bigger Thomas. So now when he realizes he wants to be his own person, he goes through many different struggles trying to find out who he truly is. Great job!
ReplyDeleteNice blog post! I like how you describe the narrator as a people pleaser, since that is exactly what he is. Although the narrator does not like to admit it, he is very much focused on pleasing others rather than himself. Even when the Vet calls him out for thinking of Mr. Norton as some sort of godlike figure, he doesn't want to admit it to himself. At that point in the story he did not question or understand why and what he was doing to himself by sucking up to all the powerful white people.
ReplyDeleteYour blog post does a clear job of showing the evolution of our narrator's identity, and how and why it changes over time. He started off obsessed with Bledsoe and becoming like him, but when he moves to NY and learns Bledsoe's true intentions, he changes. You did a good job of explaining his changes and what motivated them. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI agree with this! I feel like throughout the book the main character is constantly basing his being after what other people tell him, whether it's making a point about the assumptions people make about him, or completely changing his personality to match what other people want from him. I think you can also relate this claim back to the idea of invisibility, in that his true personality or who he is, is hidden by how people around him perceive and shape his character.
ReplyDeleteLili, great post! Your analysis of the narrator's progression in his relationship with his identity is complex and insightful. I love your point that the narrator does change his perspective after he reads Dr. Bledsoe's letters, but that perspective is not necessarily better. While the narrator now resents Dr. Bledsoe and the college after previously blindly worshipping them, his new plan for his future still centers around how others will perceive him. He now wants to do the unexpected, which is a change from his original conforming state of mind, but he still hasn't found or accepted his true thoughts, beliefs, wishes and identity. Great job!
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