Invisible Man Allusion Project

"(What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue"

Disadvantage

Summary

Prologue, pg. 8

"I'd like to hear five recordings of Louis Armstrong playing and singing "What Did I Do to Be so Black and Blue"--all at the same time"

T.I.M is discussing how he enjoys listening to music (especially Louis Armstrong) on his radio-phonograph. He wants to be able to listen to this song on five different radios. He particularly likes Armstrong because "he's made poetry out of being invisible".

Jazz Song (by Louis Armstrong)

1929

Overview

The reference to this song initially sets the tone of the novel. The song discusses the unfair treatment black people experience, being set behind white people. T.I.M's appreciation for Louis Armstrong and this song characterizes him as being able to recognize the prejudices black people face in society. This starkly contrasts T.I.M's perspective when the story begins with T.I.M in college, where he is content to cater towards white people and accept the disadvantages he has been dealt. This foreshadows T.I.M's eventual transformation into being "invisible", him rejecting his role he would have played as a black man. As the song describes being beat, or receiving bruises, simply for being black. This symbolizes his experiences with being let down by every instiution one would encounter living the American Dream (college, the workforce, achieving a higher purpose by being a speaker and influencing others). T.I.M is continuously failed by others (being beat) until he assumes his status as invisible.

This song was originally written for a musical called "Hot Chocolate". Originally, the song was a satire used for a black character to complain about losing men to lighter skinned women. Armstrong, who had appeared in the musical, later on used the song to criticize Denmark's violent reaction to civil rights activists.

Analysis

Overview

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Conformity

Chapter 2, pg. 41

Summary

"I am a New Englander, like Emerson. "

Mr. Norton, one of the school's trustees, asks T.I.M (who is driving him around) if he has ever studied Emerson. T.I.M, embarasses, says no. Norton goes on to explain that Emerson was important to T.I.M's "people" because he influenced their destiny. Norton also uses this to connect to T.I.M, saying they were connected to each other's destiny.

Famous Writer

1800s

Mr. Norton references Emerson in a way that seems like he would believe he is like the writer. Norton places an emphasis on Emerson's impact towards the black community, describing that he had an hand in their destiny. Norton also says that T.I.M has a hand in his destiny. This self-comparison is meant to describe the way Norton views himself. He believes that he is intelligent and compassionate, void of prejudice. However, when T.I.M gets in trouble for bringing Norton to Trueblood's house and then the Golden Day, Norton becomes complacent with T.I.M's fate. Norton would like to think that he was helping the black community. He funded a black college and allowed a black man to drive him around. However, Norton would never stick his neck out for T.I.M or any other black person. Despite Norton's belief that he is compassionate towards black people, he is just like any other indifferent white person. Norton ultimately acts like a prejudiced southerner. This is in direct opposition to Emerson's teaching, believing in individualism. If Norton had been able to stray from the norm, he may have actually had a positive impact on T.I.M's path.

Emerson's writing has influenced many philosophical and politcal arguments. One of Emerson's most famous works, Self-Reliance, focuses on themes such as conformity and individualism. He wrote that one should have strong trust within oneself and your decisions.

Analysis

Overview

Jim Crow

Summary

Chapter 7, pg. 155

Oppression

"You riding back here in the Jim Crow just like me."

T.I.M is riding a bus to Harlem, accompanied by Crenshaw and a vet, two people he met at the Golden Day. The vet attempts to speak using advanced vocabulary, but Crenshaw reminds him that despite his education, he is still riding in the back of the bus with the other black passengers, a Jim Crow law.

Fictional Character

1900-1920s

Crenshaw references Jim Crow to remind the vet that despite his education, he will never be viewed as an equal by white people or the law. This allusions means to reinforce that society views all black people as the same. This is present within the Jim Crow laws spoken of, and also in the Jim Crow character. This character was a stereotype of black people, a stock character within minstrel shows. The idea of Jim Crow was used to fit black people into one box, a fool, to control them more easily. When white society, many of whom do not interact with black people, have a character to represent the entire black populus, they will apply its traits to every black person.

Although most popularly used to reference rules and laws used to segregate post Civil War America, Jim Crow was originally a stock character in minstrel shows, played by white actors in blackface. The character portrayed black people as "singing, dancing, and grinning fools".

Analysis

Overview

Huckleberry Finn

Immaturity

Summary

Chapter 9, pg. 188

"I'm afraid my father considers me one of the unspeakables...I'm Huckleberry you see..."

T.I.M heads for Mr. Emerson's office to get a job but instead encounters Emerson's son. The son reads T.I.M's letter of reccomendation and begins nervously rambling about race and prejudice, becoming defensive. He urges T.I.M to look for a job somewhere else.

Fictional Character

1884

Mr. Emerson's son uses this allusion to compare himself to Huckleberry Finn. He believes he is Finn, a robust boy wishing to escape the abuse of his father. This directly references his apprehensions towards his father and his prejudices. He also callously uses this to paint T.I.M as Jim, simply because he is black and has "run away" from the south and the people that controlled him (Norton, Bledsoe). He most likely paints T.I.M in this light as he'd paint any other black man in this light. He generalizes black people, most likely due to his wealthy upbringing. We can assume he does not encounter many black people, save his friends. Emerson's son wants to paint himself in an understanding, compassionate light. It seems as if Emeron's son derives his believed lack of prejudice from his black friends. This allusion shows that Emerson's son views race and racial issues in a simplified, elementary nature, due to his comparing the situation to a children's book.

Huckleberry Finn was a character in a children's book by Mark Twain. The book chronicles the journey of a young boy that faked his death to run away from his abusive father, Hucklebery Finn, and an escaped slave named Jim. Slavery is an important topic within the novel, taking place in the south during Antebellum.

Analysis

Overview

Buckeye the Rabbit

Resilience

Chapter 11, pg. 241

Summary

"Somehow I was Buckeye the Rabbit...or had been, when as children we danced and sang barefoot in the dusty streets."

T.I.M is brought to the factory hospital following an explosion, and while in a somewhat comatose state he hears the doctors arguing about using electroshock on him. The doctors try to ask him questions but he is unable to answer, and they show him a card asking "Who is Buckeye the Rabbit". T.I.M then realizes that he identifies withe Buckeye.

Folklore Character

Late 1800s

This chapter marks T.I.M's first transformation. He goes from passive, seen in his actions from college to his first job, to active. He suddenly sees that he has the personality and knowledge to speak up for himself. This is marked by his comparison to Buckeye the Rabbit. The character uses his wit to get out of "tough situations", which aligns with T.I.M. He managed to get a job after getting kicked out of college, and had gotten himself a job despite the negative letter he was meant to deliver. The significance in the element that Buckeye was a children's tale lies in his acknowledgment that he was Buckeye also aligns with his movement from being young and naive to being wiser. In addition to this, Buckeye also characterizes the way other people view T.I.M. His fate has been controlled by many different men, all much more powerful than he. In his past naivity, his pight have become entertainment for these powerful men.

Buckeye the Rabbit (also Br'er Rabbit or Jack the Rabbit) is a character from African folklore, common in African American culture. The rabbit is characterized to be crafty and often uses his wit to escape sticky situations. He also is shown being a source of entertainment for other characters, due to his gullible nature.

Analysis

Overview

Booker T. Washington

Ineffectual

Summary

Chapter 14, pg. 305

"How would you like to be the new Booker T. Washington?"

After witnessing T.I.M give a speech on evictions, a man from an organization called the Brotherhood invites T.I.M to a party for a job opportunity. They reveal that they want to use T.I.M as a speaker for the Brotherhood, a group focused on social activism.

Famous Writer/Speaker

1850-1920

This reference highlights the Brotherhood's corrupted ambitions. As they offer this important, influential role in social activism to T.I.M, they don't present it as described, but as a celebrity. Instead of viewing their role within racial justice as meant for the greater good, they view it as a means to gain power and reputation. In addition to this, their brushing off of Booker T. Washington contradicts they're own teachings. They paint Washington in a light as if he did not do enough, or as if he were ineffective for being too conservative. However, this is exactly the way that insist T.I.M needs to act. They consistently criticize T.I.M for being too radical or emotional, and for riling up crowds. The Brotherhood is more concerned with keeping general peace than achieving social justice.

Washington was born a slave in Virginia. He became an activist speaking for civil rights, however he was often criticized for being to conservative. many believe his career to not have been effective due to his ideas being watered down as to not cause tensions among white people.

Analysis

Overview

Uncle Tom

Compliancy

Summary

Chapter 17, pg. 369

""Get up, Uncle Tom" he said, and I clipped him."

While T.I.M is giving a speech, a black nationalist named Ras the Exhorter and his followers start a fight amongst the crowd. T.I.M and Clifton, another brother, engage in the fight. Ras does not want to kill them because they are both black, so he spares them and flees.

Fictional Character

1852

The use of the Uncle Tom stereotype to describe T.I.M depicts the way Ras, and the other black nationalists, view black brothers. The Uncle Tom characters depicts a slave that endures abuse while retaining their loyalty. This paints T.I.M as a servant to the Borthood that gets nothing in return, but stays with them out of false faith. They believe he has betrayed black society by aligning themselves with the Brotherhood, a widely white organization with conservative methods and ideas relative to racial justice. Ras's views foreshadows the Brotherhood's eventual betrayal, with abadoning Harlem and racial issues to pursue higher national issues. These actions prove to T.I.M that the Brotherhood has been using him, and is not actually a just organization despite the way they portray themselves.

Uncle Tom is a character in the novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin", written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852. The character created a stereotype for black people, an image of happy and loyal servants. Uncle Tom became a term used to describe black people that were "submissive" towards white people and were passive in their abuse.

Analysis

Overview

Sambo

Summary

Chapter 20, pg. 431

Control

"He's Sambo the dancing doll, ladies and gentlemen."

T.I.M returns to Harlem following the disappearance of a brother, Tod Clifton. While walking in the streets, T.I.M comes across Clifton selling Sambo dolls, a racist stereotype, to a crowd of people. Clifton flees when cops begin closing in on him, and following his departure T.I.M smashes a doll he left but then stores the doll in his briefcase.

Stereotype

1800s

The depiction of Sambo represents the Brotherhood's actions. The image of Clifton manipulating the doll is a direct comparison of the Brotherhood's powerful, white members controlling its black members. F instance, T.I.M's speaking is controlled by the white leadership. Similarly, Clifton most likely left because he felt as if he were being treated unfairly. The Brotherhood views black brothers as a toy or tool, meant to exist in image only. The Brotherhood then manipulates the black brothers' actions, using them to entertain and gain audience of other black people, since they seek to gain control over society. T.I.M smashing the doll represents his rejection of the Brotherhood's control over him, however him keeping the doll symbolizes that he is not willing to abandon the Brotherhood despite their mistreatment. The imagery of Sambo's blackface is used to generalize black people, as well paint them as foolish.

Sambo is a racist stereotype, or nickname, derived from a children's book. Depictions of Sambo often include offensive physical traits, similar to the imagery of blackface. Stories of Sambo frequently were themed around violence, with Sambo being ditzy and indifferent towards violence.

Analysis

Overview

Cyclops

Chapter 22, pg. 474

Corruption

Summary

"He stopped, squinting at me with Cyclopean irritation. "

Following T.I.M staging a funeral for Clifton, the Brotherhood gathers to question T.I.M for his part. The Brotherhood regarded Clifton as a traitor for leaving and then selling the racist dolls. They also criticize T.I.M for his method of speech which they believe is not scientifical and riles up the crowd to much.

Mythical Character

Ancient Greece (BC)

Brother Jack's motives had been in question since he first appeared. This comparison of Jack to a cyclops confirms his villainy, or semi-villainy. Jack's morality has always seemed somewhat gray, being more concerned with reputation and keeping the people under control than actually achieving social justice. His aggression towards T.I.M culminates in this chapter as he and other brothers criticize him for giving Brother Clifton a funeral. Then, it is revealed that Jack had lost an eye, only leaving him with one. This symbolizes Jack's blindness towards the real problems black people face in America. Jack views his activity within social activism to be purely for personal gain, to advance himself alone. Jack and the other brothers often concern themselves with removing the emotion from T.I.M's speaking and making them more scientific and aligned with the Brotherhood's ideals, not T.I.M's. In addition to this, cyclops being depicted as cannibals directly correlates to Jack's indifference towards stiflinh T.I.M's, his colleague, ideas.

The cyclops is an antagonistic figure within Greek mythology. They are often described as large beings with on eye. In the Odyssey, the cyclopes are depicted as cannibals living on an island. Odysseus escapes a cyclops by blinding it.

Analysis

Overview

Abraham Lincoln

Power

Chapter 23, pg. 503

Summary

"I looked at him, at the long, bony, almost Lincolnesque face. "

Following T.I.M's argument with Brother Jack, he is sent back to Brother Hambro to learn the Brotherhood's new agenda. Hambro tells T.I.M that the Brotherhood is abandoning its reach in Harlem to pursue more widespread, national matters. T.I.M leaves in anger.

Political Figure

Civil War Era (1860s)

T.I.M's comparison of Brother Hambro to Lincoln intends to align Hambro with Lincoln. Despite the Brotherhood being an organization created to achieve social justice, particularly racial justice, almost the entirety of its leadership is white. Brother Hambro was assigned to teach T.I.M the rhetoric and information he needs to be a representative of the Brotherhood, making him almost the image of the Brotherhood's methods. The composition of T.I.M, a black man, being taught how to successfully speak about racial tensions by a white man implies the idea that the white members of this organization are in fact asserting themselves as the controllers of racial activism. This is similar to the notion that during his presidency, Lincoln controlled the fate of millions of black people. Lincoln is also viewed in a sort of white savior manner, similar to the way the Brotherhood paints itself. This is also strengthened by the argument between T.I.M and Brother Jack in the previous chapter where T.I.M criticizes Jack for dictating the course of black related activism, calling him the "white father".

Abraham Lincoln was the president during the Civil War. He is famous for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in America. Recently, Lincoln's methods and motives behind freeing slaves have been questioned. Originally, Lincoln seemed complacent with slavery, until it threatened the unity of the U.S.

Analysis

Overview