Tokens
Explore the significance of the tokens the narrator collects throughout the novel (the diploma, the Brotherhood membership, the anonymous letter, the broken bank, and the paper doll puppet). Trace the growth of the narrator using these mementos.
Throughout The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison purposely includes an object that the narrator has at all times in the novel: a briefcase. And, inside of this briefcase lies all of the narrator’s “baggage,” but also items that symbolize his trying experiences. For example, he has his diploma, a representation of his own overcoming of the education system, money from The Battle Royal, indicating his conformity to society and embrace of blindness, the Sambo dolls that Tod Clifton was playing with, which clarify the puppetry and manipulation of African American people, and much more. His briefcase contains the symbolism behind the “stuff” he has collecting over his lifetime. It obtains his journey, the people he has met, and most importantly, his oppression everywhere he goes. Further, the briefcase is a symbol of the struggle he has faced, and the influence that each setting has on him, whether it’s the South where he grew up, Mary’s home, or the streets of Harlem. Ellison, by including his briefcase (and the subsequent destruction of it) shows that black life didn’t matter in the 1930s anywhere, and that challenge and destruction are most common in the average African American life (even in the future).
ReplyDeleteAs the novel advances, the narrator collects a variety of different objects and trinkets that he keeps with him. He carries all of these objects until he has to burn some in order to escape the tunnel he escapes into at the end. First he is given the high school diploma, briefcase and scholarship to college. These are all signs of his innocence to the world and his desire to become educated and conform to the racist and supressive ideology of the white man. He then receives his brotherhood membership and a broken bank. The brotherhood membership represents his new identity, as he is no longer the conforming black man who will become an assistant to Bledsoe, but rather he has become a person who thinks they will advocate change in their society. Next he receives the broken bank from Mary's apartment. The bank was a caricature of the stereotypical black man, and symbolized that no matter how much change he causes and how much he changes, these stereotypes will always be with him. The same can be said for the chain and the sambo doll. The chain represents slavery and will forever be with him. The doll is another caricature of a black man, further emphasizing stereotypes as well as showing that black people are "dolls" meant to be played with by people. At the end of the novel the narrator burns what he can but finds that he cannot burn the chain, the bank and has trouble burning the doll. This shows that slavery and stereotypes will always be a part of who he is, but he will no longer be played with like a puppet by people such as Brother Jack and Bledsoe.
ReplyDeleteStarting with his high school diploma and his scholarship, these represent the narrator's innocence. He does not realize he is being controlled. Moving to the brotherhood membership, the narrator realizes that he was serving another man, and wants to form a new identity. He wants to be independent. He is blind to the fact that he cannot advance change in the brotherhood. The sambo doll and the broken bank, are protayls of the stereotypical black man. This makes the narrator realize that no matter how hard he works, he will never make a change in society.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel the narrator collects mementos of his experiences. The first thing he receives is a scholarship to a black college and a briefcase to put it in. He keeps the briefcase and puts all of his mementos into it throughout the novel. The scholarship as well as his high school diploma represent his innocence at the beginning of the novel as well as the manipulation he goes through to get them. The next object he collects is his brotherhood acceptance letter. This signifies his beginning to see the manipulation and cruelty towards black people and his attempt to change it. However he is still manipulated by the brotherhood and does not recognize it until he has outlived his usefulness. The next two objects he collects are a broken bank that once held the shape of a stereotypical southern black man and the shackle Brother Tarp had broken to escape slavery. These two objects symbolize the racial stereotypes and history that will always be a part of him. Even when he burns all of the possessions in his briefcase he is unable to rid himself of these objects. the final object he receives is the sambo doll. The doll represents how he was manipulated throughout the novel and used to entertain others. When it burns he finally sets himself free.
ReplyDeleteThe mementos the character collects and puts in his briefcase act as a timeline showing all of the important events in his life. The briefcase itself with a college scholarship is received after the narrator's first trying experience, the Battle Royal. Eventually after getting his diploma, it symbolizes his disparaging confrontations with Bledsoe, and teaches him that he can't trust even those he feels has helped him along the way. The broken statue/bank relates directly to his time with Mary, and his metaphorical rebirth, while also showing that he has now been fully exposed to racism on many different fronts. As two final nails in the coffin, the Brotherhood acceptance letter and the anonymous letter signify hope and betrayal. By being accepted into the Brotherhood, the narrator becomes hopeful that he can make a change. However, pieces of evidence begin to show themselves, like the anonymous letter, showing that the Brotherhood is not what it seems, and has no care for the black community. His eventual burning of all of these important items shows that he has moved past all of the oppression in his life and has finally found himself as the invisible man.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator collects his high school diploma, his briefcase, the broken bank and money, the brotherhood name, the anonymous letter, the chain link and the sambo doll. The first represents the innocence that he had as a child and him beginning on his journey thinking that he was going to make a difference when he was really playing into the hands of the white man. The briefcase also represents this because it represents the shell of him which was originally made by the white man to conform him, but it becomes worn and dirty as the novel progresses showing that he is not made for the white man but controls his destiny. The next is the broken bank and money. The bank represents the abandonment of his southern roots which ties back to slavery because this is when he decides to fight for the brotherhood for the betterment of the people. The money represents the corruption of the brotherhood which was hidden inside of the bank, which was a promise to help rid of the past. The chain link also represents slavery but this is a keep sake he chooses to keep and use, capturing how he did not abandon his roots, contrary to what the broken bank once was. The his name of the brotherhood which tells him to strip himself of the past, which he does but it represent the corruption of the organization along with the letter from Brother Jack. this new life he begins looks promising but when the letter arrives does not look as nice as it once did. The Sambo doll represents the time of the corruption of the brotherhood and how he realizes that he has played puppet to the brotherhood without noticing the strings.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, the diploma, along with the briefcase and scholarship, reprresent the narrator's youth and the start of his adult life. Everything is going perfect for him, not anticipating the future difficulties ahead. The broken bank, sambo doll, and chain are all stereotypical of black people. They represent an identity that the narrator will never be able to shed, and that he must deal with stereotypes that come with being black. The anonymous letter reminds the narrator who he is, and that he should not hold hiself too high. The Brotherhood membership is a representation of advocacy for societal change. Later on it is realized that the narrator cannot shift the course of the Brotherhood's plans, starting off his betrayal by them.
ReplyDeleteAll the artifacts and momentos that th narrator keeps in his briefcase act as a map or overview of all of the important events that he went through that had large affects on him. Such as his High school diploma which was earned before the worst cruelty he experienced in all of his prior innocence in his childhood. The broken bank and the broken shackle represent stereotypes and common views of the black man which he carries with him. Another memento is the brotherhood acceptance letter, this signifies his attempts of turning cruelty and manipulation of black people around. Finally, the sambo doll symbolizes the falling apart of the brotherhood's moral. And how he was the puppet of the brotherhood.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator collects these tokens as the story progresses. Each token has a symbolic meaning towards the narrator and his experiences. The diploma, represents his ambition at the beginning of the novel to finish his education and become a man like Bledsoe. The Brotherhood membership represents his shift to become a speaker for the Brotherhood as he tries to combat racism. The bank depicts the stereotypical portrayal of a black man that the narrator is trying not to be. It also shows his time with Mary and how by leaving her he has shattered their relationship. The doll shows how the narrator has been manipulated by the Brotherhood to advance their own goals.The briefcase and it’s tokens are a symbol of each major obstacle he has overcome, and their influence on his life.
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