Hi Everyone:
Let me start again by noting that our next meeting is
currently scheduled for Friday, August 22nd, 8-10 am in room
2209. The book we will be discussing
this time is Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, and the assignment is the same as
it was for the previous two books (see earlier posts). This time, in your responses, see if you can
connect Rhys’ style to the meaning that you are getting from the book. Another way of putting this is to ask
yourself: why is it significant that Rhys is writing this particular way for
this particular novel? You don't have to do this in every response, but try focusing on her style for one or two responses.
Last Friday, in spite of sleep deprivation and fumbled
breakfast orders, we practiced the very thing that I mention above: tying
technique to meaning. In groups,
students chose short passages that they felt were indicative of Ellison’s style
and pointed out the hallmarks of the style.
This lead to some interesting provisional ideas. Ellison’s use of
italics and repetition do not just indicate high emotion but also drives home
the possibility of multiple meanings (as one student noted). Another student felt that the repeated use of
conjunctions and a lack of punctuation added a rhythmic element to the language
which connects with The Invisible Man’s thoughts about rhythm and culture at
the beginning of the novel – the language takes on a musical nature, in other
words. Someone added to this by claiming
that this rhythmic language is also part of the novel’s preoccupation with
“dream states” or states of half-consciousness, which allow culturally
prohibited thoughts to be expressed. We
ran short on time for this exercise, but it brought forward some very
interesting ideas which may not have been on the table if we hadn’t looked
closely at the language.
We started our meeting with a recap of the last meeting, which
included a reminder of what is on the test and a general discussion of critical
theory. I noted again the College
Board’s propensity toward the New Critical style of criticism, and along with
that I introduced a few terms related to New Criticism: Affective Fallacy and
Intentional Fallacy (worth looking up for those who weren’t there). From there we got into our impressions of the
second half of the book. Some students
found the second half to have more momentum to it: the events were more bizarre
and grotesque than the beginning, the characters were more vivid, and the tone
was very different. One student noted
the bold and sarcastic tone of the narrator in the second half, as compared to
the naïve and trusting tone of the first half.
We then talked about the problem of women in the book (why did the
Invisible Man leave Mary for the Brotherhood?
Why do all the women in book only appear in the most intimate and
vulnerable scenes?). This discussion
was very detailed and interesting, with students making connections between
scenes in the book (the Trueblood dream and the “rape” scene at the end of the
book, for instance). I then asked the
students what they thought of the book as a whole, or what they would take away
from it. Some said that it was such a
huge book (conceptually) that it was very difficult to say. One student said that she felt the book was
able to take a massive social moment (the struggle for civil rights, political
upheaval) and bring it down to a very personal level, which ties in with the
novel’s central tension between one’s private inner life and social
expectations. Another mentioned that the
book is so epic in scope that it transcends its setting: it goes beyond race
and social struggle and becomes just a human story. Another student said that the insistent
questioning of identity was what will stick with her: what constitutes a
person’s consciousness, how does one protect one’s identity and live in the
world? This final thought lead us to
think about the ambiguous ending: on the one hand, The Invisible Man has found
a way to escape the push and pull of life and won’t be used by people again,
since he is literally in a hole and separated from humanity. On the other hand, is he really “free” if he’s
chosen to simply hide away? Is the
problem really that we must either give up culture for our selves, or give up
our selves for culture? Even the
Invisible Man worries over this.
Thank you again for those who came, and I hope to see the
others at the last meeting. Mr. Telles.
(Not sure if I'm supposed to add my own two cents comment here, but just because we usually do I will!)
ReplyDeleteAs a whole, the book had me reeling. There was just so much to take in! For an invisible man if looked at literally, he did so much and was a part of so much. But figuratively, he was invisible because everyone had their own uses for him to mold him into what they needed him to be. Playing roles all your life for other people and losing yourself into society makes you question whether your motives are your own, whether your legs are your legs, and if where you are is where you want to be for yourself, rather than for someone else. When he's underground, the protagonist recognizes that he must shed the skins that others have had him wear and finally wear his own, not fearing the grandeur of the culture he once was lost in. Now he's just going to be himself, the narrator, still invisible but not because people choose to see him as they wish, but because he is himself at last and not of use to so many people. A sad and slightly confusing ending in all honestly might make sense this way to me: He has found his identity in the darkness and silence, but lacks his freedom, so he's leaving the underground to take his place in society.
The second half of the book certainly took a different path than the first half of the book. The main character had more hesitation during the first half of the book; he was very slow to stand up for himself when others antagonized him. That all changed during the second half of the book and the narrator changes his tone to a more aggressive angle.
ReplyDeleteAs a whole, I felt that the main character does an amazing job narrating a large story. I took away the idea of how I want others to perceive me. The story shows the ups and downs of life in the real world. No matter how great you are at what you do, if you are not memorable than you might as well give up, because people will not remember you when you are gone. Therefore, I have learned, from this story, that it is important to go out and make your impact on your community. The narrator could have made his story short by simply saying what I just did, but instead he takes the story down a bit, making the story way more personal by incorporating his grandfather and his own morals and values, like his love for school.
I too noticed the way women are visualized in the book. They are either seen as caregivers or sex slaves. Mary and the nurse after the accident are the few women seen in a positive light in the book. All other women are seen during very demeaning times in the book. First, you see the wife and daughter of Trueblood, where the daughter was sexually assaulted by her own father. The very next chapter, at the Golden Day, women are used for pleasure. Then, the narrator plans to use the mistresses, as a part of his master plan to get back at his Brothers, by sleeping with them. The only other females from the story, that I can remember, are the old lady being evicted and the girl that helped him escape on the rooftops. And still, it is the old lady that is struck down over the stairs by the Marshal, and he believes that the girl sent the man in black after him, and he does not seem to trust her.
As a whole the "Invisible Man" is a book about a man trying to find his place in the world, only to discover that he has none. In the beginning he is worried, he is timid, and he is scared, at the end he is worried, he is confident, and he is at peace. He did everything he could do to try to make a change, but everyone told him the world wasn't ready, or that's not the way. The man realized he was in a bubble, trapped in a closed system of opinions, and so he began to look at the views of others, even impersonating someone, to understand how the problem affects all people. The man transcended from ignorance to enlightenment. His mind became open and he understood the world as it is. Everyone wants something, those that advocate for change do so under the motive of profit. Some shout for rebellion in the hopes that they can be famous. Some only want to help you because they feel like someone of your race will save their life. Though many actions of people are selfless, most have ulterior motive. Even the man, the narrator, he worked to help his people, but what he really wanted was to give speeches, to put himself into his words, and to understand the world. The freedom the invisible man gained in his hole is real. He could do anything he wanted without worry of others controlling him. He could figure out who he is without the ideas that others implanted in his head. He may not have a free body, as there's little for it to do, but he has a free mind, as it can go wherever it must. The problem isn't that we must give up our culture to have ourselves, it's that we must understand our culture to put ourselves in it. The invisible man said he couldn't stay in that hole forever. Eventually, he has to come out, and make himself part of the culture. We mustn't give up ourselves to have a culture, we must change the culture. The book is about change. Change of mindset, change of personality, change of location, change of goals, change of style (in the writing itself), and change of society. The narrator spends the whole book fixated on changing society, that he doesn't realize it is the culture that must change. A culture against change will prevent any success in changing a society. One can hope that while the narrator freed his mind, meditating in that hole, he became aware of this, and tried to change his culture as a whole.
ReplyDeleten "Invisible Man" the women that appear in the book coincide with the personal growth of the main character, to show how women influence the world that they live in, even during a time where gender equality was a concept that was just beginning to be brought into the spotlight. In the beginning during the Battle Royale, the naked White-American woman is paraded among the main character and the other African-American men as a way to show them what they can not have, and it also highlights the race issue in that interracial marriage was a cultural taboo, during the time period the book is set in. The next woman in the book with an equal power and influence is Mary, who represents the good in society through her charity, and her support of the main character when he is at his lowest. However, like many men in society the main character is quick to leave Mary once opportunity presents itself, because his pride in wanting to provide for himself and his need to be of importance, superseded the love and care Mary provided for him. Even though the main character is a strong intellectual, with a good upbringing, his weakness are revealed through his encounter with women. Sybil, whom he tries to extract information out of in order to destroy the brotherhood, reveals his weakness among women through her ability to convince the narrator to sleep with her, even though that was not his initial plan. These three women in the book: the White-American in the Battle Royale, Mary, and Sybil indicate the changes that occur in the narrator throughout the book. The woman at the Battle Royale was a white woman whom the narrator was told he could never be with, and he accepted that because he was still an obedient member of society who was willing to deny himself that freedom of being with whomever he wanted, in order to fit into society for in the beginning of the novel the narartor was still an naive but optimistic person. Mary is the comforter for the narrator once his life is turned upside down after first getting a revelation of the type of person Bledsoe is,and after leaving the company hospital. With Mary he is lost and depressed with no direction in life. With Sybil, the narrator is well aware of the controlling and corrupt nature of the Brotherhood, and he has seen the realities of his world through the death of Clifton and the Brotherhood's abandonment of Harlem. Even at the very end of the book, the narrator still shows the same weakness when he comes to women for he could still smell the scent of the prostitute who thought he was Rinehart, deep in the sewer and he thought about how beautiful she was. Although the narrator is an intellectual who in the beginning of the novel had sound morals, his lack of self-control when it comes to women is evident for he slept with a married woman not once,but twice in the novel. All in all women are very influential in the book, and they reveal the growth and weakness of the main character.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the second half of invisible man more than the first. I felt that the invisible man had more power on his life. The invisible man seemed to be discovering himself in a new way in every chapter. The main issue of this novel is that the invisible man struggles to fit his identity in this society. I feel that the invisible man knew who he was during the second half of the book, but struggled to make himself known. It seemed that he felt best when he was being heard, or speaking in front of crowds. The invisible man faces people who do not listen to him and they all seem to merge into one. Jack and Dr. Bledsoe soon have the same qualities and essentially become the same character towards the end. At the end of the novel, the invisible man seems to be free from all the lies and the people that put him there. In that whole he fit nowhere in society. His whole life has been trying to find a place in college, in the work place, or in the brotherhood. He was finally free to be his own person where no one could push him around. I do have to admit, it took me a very long time to understand why and how he felt free while being stuck in a hole. The author's moral of the story is that you do not know your identity unless your life has no lies.
ReplyDeleteI thought the second half of this book was initially overwhelming but overall, fascinating. There was so much going on and so many scenes that could be interpreted in different ways. Joining the brotherhood created a stronger theme of civivl rights and political activism. However, I felt that the brotherhood also acted as a source of detail for the idea of betrayal. Starting in the university in the early chapters, the Invisible Man is always getting betrayed by people pretending to help him. I think this idea of constant betrayal and unsure of who to trust is honestly what lead to his identity confusion. Some people define themselves by the people they surround themselves with. The fact that the narrator surrounds himself with people who betray him obviously leads to the fact that he can't trust himself.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea I felt conflicted by was the desire or fear of being invisible. Did the narrator want to be invisible? A soon as he made himself known he was in jeopardy, with the anonymous letter writer, the Southern whites, the police, etc. The invisible man makes a huge change in the second half of the novel, finally protesting for what he believes in and for his own advantage. In chapter one he recited his speech to please the white folks, in the second half he protests because he believes in the rights of his people. But is a protestor who he wants to be? The tone and descriptions of the narrator in the second half showed that he was at least trying to be productive but he was still lost, overwhelmed by society. And thats why the hole seemed so comforting because it was a small escape from judgement, a small escape from betrayal by others. But living in a hole is not freedom, that's a temporary escape. Where is the balance in this book of finding yourself and coping with society? In all honesty, I don't think any characters in the book experienced this balance, they were either untrue to themselves or afraid of society. This idea deeply frightens me because what if there is no possible balance? How do we find ourselves without being in a hole, away from society? I think that Invisible Man was a truly intriguing book asking all humans to realize that they need to find themselves, that they need to somehow attempt at that sacred balance.
One thing I found particularly interesting about the characters development throughout the book is the character's ongoing identity crisis. He is, metaphorically, reborn to start the second half of the book. This is where the real character is supposed to become visible, but he ends up being controlled again. This time it's by a group that he wants to believe in, just like the old narrator when he was part of the university. He isn't displaying his real self, but is just representative of the brotherhood. Although it's implied he believes in the things he is saying, there seems to be a point in which the message becomes overridden with corruption. He really doesn't become his own person until the very end of the book. And even then, he has been so torn apart by the pressures that groups have put onto him, that he is mentally damaged by the time he can truly be himself. Who knows what he could've done with his natural ability for speaking if he hadn't been controlled by outside groups. In a way, I feel he knew who he truly was throughout the book, but just couldn't quite show it. The haunting memories of his grandfather further this. His grandfathers beliefs that the narrator holds true, serve as a constant reminder of what the narrator truly believes in. The point that you've mentioned at the end is what I've been feeling but just haven't been able to put into words. I know that the character is supposed to be finally free and independent at the end of the book. But because of his circumstances, it doesn't feel to me that he is truly free. How free can someone who has to result to hiding himself away in a hole be? The things that drove him into that whole, the people that controlled him, still in a way have an effect on him. He is in there because he can be himself there, but he is also there because of what they did to him.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this half of the book much more than the first half. The tone is definitely more defiant throughout the first half, when the narrator feels as though he has found a place in the Brotherhood, and then comes to find out he was nothing but a pawn the entire time. He is much more confident, which couldn't have even been used to describe the narrator in the first half of the novel. Actually seeing him develop as a character, growing from a meek, confused young man to knowing who he is, what makes him his own individual in a world where many things are anything but unique. He now knows what his OWN opinions are, what he likes and dislikes, what makes up his own identity. Therefor, he is no longer invisible to himself, although he is to others. To be able to realize that he was a pawn, and being able to admit that to himself means he is extremely comfortable and confident with who he is. This also means that he expects more from himself. I feel the book definitely took into account many social problems, (racism, gender roles, women's rights, civil rights, poverty, abuse of power) and nailed them down into personal accounts to make them more interesting, believable, as well as important to the reader. It was much more interesting reading of the social issues in regards to the development of the Invisible man both socially and intellectually rather than reading facts and dates in a history book.
ReplyDeleteOnce the Invisible man became not so invisible to the public eye, he faced judgment, insecurity, uncertainty, confusion and mistrust. He was not used to having other people need him (even if it just was for a name on a ballot). He had not been used to feeling important. So when others approached him testing his judgement, it was nerve wrecking. The hole at the end of the book is an escape the world he had recently grown to know, and it reminded him of a time where no one knew his "name". He was just another face in the crowd.
The second half of the book Invisible Man intrigued me more than the first half did. In the second half of the book we begin to see the narrator descend into his invisibility which was very interesting to read about. It seems that during this part of the book we reached the climax and were on a downward fall from there until the narrator finally becomes invisible. I also thought about the different symbolic meanings of the narrator's said 'invisibility.' The narrator now has no one because he is now invisible. Everyone who played any part in his life doesn't matter any more for he is no longer 'living' per say. It's ironic that the narrator is happiest at this point in his life, though he has faced many injustices throughout the novel, don't get me wrong, the author also didn't forget to add in little bits of happiness throughout his life. But instead the narrator chose to leave behind everything, the good and the bad and become invisible. While that made him happy it left me with a very melancholy feeling at the end of the novel.
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