Throughout Invisible Man, Ellison hides many metaphors that relate to the narrators life. From the reoccurring theme of running to the coin bank at Marry's, but one particularly interesting one was the doll that pops up before the climax of the book. He stumbles upon Clifton (who he doesn't notice till later) advertising and selling racist puppet dolls. Like everyone else, the narrator finds himself sucked into the doll fascinated with how it moves, he doesn't even realize Clifton is the one selling the dolls nor does he get upset that they're racist dolls. The police eventually come and everyone runs away and the narrator grabs a doll off the ground later putting it into his brief case (another reoccurring metaphor). Upon picking it up he finally realizes how the doll was able to move, it had tiny black strings which Clifton were using to move it in such a way.
This scene essentially creates a puppet on a string metaphor. In many ways, the Narrator is the puppet on the string without even knowing it, similar to how he doesn't notice the strings on the doll at first. However, by the end of the Novel the Narrator discovers his strings and realizes he's been kept on strings all along, similar to how he finally notices the strings on the doll. This metaphor is important because of where it occurs in the storyline. It happens right before the novels climax and end. The Narrator notices the strings on the doll as he starts to notice the same strings on him.
The doll even though it's a minor detail crates chaos as it leads to the cop shooting and killing Clifton, which leads to the Narrator starting to truly question and fight back on the people who have kept him blindly running. The story would've been so different if Clifton were selling fake watches but the idea that he was selling a puppet on a string (and a racist one) changes the whole arc of the story. Unlike some of the other metaphors in the book that make us stop and think about how they affect the story sometimes, the doll not only affected the Narrator but the whole book. It tied everything together from the beginning to the end.
Hey Lili, awesome post! The idea of puppetry being a metaphor for manipulation is a theme that is more subliminal within the novel, and requires a lot of deep analyzation of the text. With that, you bring up points I had not previously considered, such as how the fate of Clifton may have resulted differently if he were not selling a physical manifestation of the "puppet on a string" metaphor, and was maybe selling watches instead. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Lili! Your post is really interesting and I think that you make a great point about how the doll on strings represents the narrator being controlled by others (whether that be by society, the brotherhood, white people, etc.). Great work!
ReplyDeleteHey Lili, this is a good blog. I agree that the narrator, throughout the whole book, was at the mercy of other people, and that his next step was always planned out by others. Thats a really good metaphor. GOOD JOB.
ReplyDeleteHello LIli. I agree that Manipulation was a key aspect of this book. There are so many literary devices in this book (which is why I like it so much) and the puppet one is not one that I noticed the first time reading. 10/10
ReplyDeleteHi Lili, I thought this was a really interesting blog! You make some great points about the theme of manipulation throughout the book. It's strange how the narrator doesn't realize he's being manipulated throughout the book. He even places the doll in his briefcase, a symbol of his experiences (mementos from the past). This briefcase is literally his emotional "baggage" and yet, he doesn't realize that this manipulation is a huge part of his past. Again, great blog!
ReplyDeleteHey Lili, this was a great post! I completely agree that this book includes many meaningful metaphors, and choosing to use the Sambo Dolls as one of your examples really helped get that point across. The theme of manipulation and how the narrator starts to see himself being manipulated by those "puppet strings" was well articulated in this post. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteThis is a terrific blog post! I really like your analysis of the narrator's oblivious relationship to the strings on the doll. Just as he did not notice the strings manipulating the doll, the narrator does not realize he is being manipulated. It is only later, after the chaos of Clifton's death, when he finally takes a second to analyze it and realizes the strings were there all along. Manipulation is hardest to identify when the strings are attached to you. Great work!
ReplyDeleteI never thought of this that way! Ellison uses so many metaphors that it's sometimes hard to keep track of everything, so I like how you focused on one specific metaphor and it's meaning throughout the book. I think you could probably connect this to other metaphors, like how he keeps it in the briefcase he's been carrying around the entire book, and how this also holds many other meaningful objects.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post! I think that it's super interesting how Clifton's succession from the brotherhood and selling this racist doll actually ends up being a good thing for the narrator as it opens his eyes as he realize he is just like the doll, and the brotherhood is pulling his strings. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteNice post Lili! This scene in particular was one that left a strong impression on me when I first read it and I think you did a great job of unpacking the literary devices used in it. The narrator has a bit of a revelation moment in which he realizes the doll is him, manipulated with the strings of the brotherhood into carrying out their true motives. I agree the doll one of the most significant metaphors in the book!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting concept to me as well, and I actually also ended up writing about how the narrator was similar to a Marionette (puppet on a string). I love the way you flesh out this whole idea! I think the author includes a lot of little details that run throughout the novel, and this is definitely one of them in my eyes.
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