Invalidation of the Narrator's Identity in the Brotherhood

In the first part of Invisible Man, we see the narrator wander aimlessly among several wealthy, powerful aristocrats (Bledsoe, Norton, Emerson) in an attempt to try and form an identity and make something meaningful of his life. Early on, this ardent desire of the narrator to force his life in a certain direction takes the form of attempting to siphon an identity from these wealthy, powerful characters, such as Bledsoe, and actually ends up having the reverse effect of blinding the narrator from the character's true intentions and what is really going on behind the scenes. We observe this in the first part of the book through the narrator's unrelenting, delusional optimism even when situations look dire, as he simply convinces himself that he will find success with one of these men rather than having to form his own identity and make his unique mark on society. Due to the narrator's lack of ability to do this, coupled with his reliance on others stemming from the belief that he must strive to be like them to succeed, he is never able to form an identity and progress independently throughout his life, thus appearing invisible. This notion changes when he joins the Brotherhood, however, as Brother Jack makes an appearing offer to the narrator to become a leading spokesmen of the organization, providing the narrator with a chance to feel like he himself, as an individual, has a purpose in life, by persuading others to take action and making a difference in their lives. Because of the narrator's newfound confidence due to exposure to the rest of the community, he no longer feels invisible as he has, with the help of Brother Jack, made an identity for himself in the Brotherhood organization. While the narrator seems to be content with his position in his Brotherhood for the majority of his time in the organization, it is after the controversial death of Brother Tod Clifton, and the perhaps even more controversial (at least within the Brotherhood) funeral ceremony that the narrator puts on for him that causes the narrator to see the Brotherhood in a different light, as well as start to question the true motives behind the organization. After debating with Brother Jack and Tobitt about Clifton's death and subsequently arguing with Hambro about the Brotherhood's policies and true motives, the narrator realizes the meaninglessness of his identity in the Brotherhood, once again appearing invisible and without identity, and causing him to take on his grandfather's beliefs of tricking with feigned optimism, as although he has lost his identity, the difference from the beginning of the book is that he understands his invisibility.

Immediately following the narrator's witnessing of Clifton's death at the hands of a white cop, the narrator is astonished and speechless, feeling that he is at fault. In response to this, the narrator decides to hold a funeral procession for brother Clifton simply because of his unjust death at the hands of a white cop for an act as meager as illegally selling paper Sambo dolls. It is important to note here that the narrator does this and speaks at the ceremony without first consulting the Brotherhood committee. This act of the narrator comes back to punish him, as Brother Jack and Tobitt confront him about his individual acts regarding Clifton. Brother Tobitt is more than happy to call the narrator out on his rash, individual actions, sarcastically asking if "that [is] all the great tactician has to tell us?" (463). Tobitt realizes that the narrator acted alone his his endeavors, something that looks even worse after the debacle with Brother Wrestrum, and strives to heavily express his disapproval of the narrator's actions using sarcasm. The narrator genuinely believes that Clifton deserved a proper, publicized funeral, as he was unjustly killed by a white cop, but Brother Tobitt and Jack misinterpret this as an act from the narrator that's against the Brotherhood organization. When the narrator expresses his views as to why he acted as he did, stating that it was his "personal responsibility" to hold the funeral, Brother Jack simply tells him that he did wrong because Clifton was a traitor, again with a strong use of sarcasm in order to undermine the narrator and make him look silly, throwing his own words back at him by stretching out "personal re-spon-si-bility" (464).. While the narrator protests, saying that it is unjust that Clifton, unarmed, was killed for such a petty reason, Brother Jack is quick to silence him, stating that "you were not hired to think. Had you forgotten that? If so, listen to me: You were not hired to think" (469). This is where the narrator starts to see the true method and motives behind how the Brotherhood really works. Up until now, the narrator believed that he had found his own identity with the Brotherhood and that the Brotherhood is what gave his life meaning, pulling him out of his cloak of invisibility. After hearing Brother Jack clearly and directly remind the narrator why he was hired, however, the narrator starts to question his position in the organization, as if the true behind-the-scenes motives of the leaders are overshadowing his own opinions and thoughts regarding the organization, then maybe the narrator's identity in the organization isn't so set it stone after all.

While the confrontation with Jack and Tobitt in the meeting plants these doubts of the Brotherhood's legitimacy and transparency inside the narrator's head, it is his meeting with Hambro about sacrifice following Clifton's death that convince the narrator that his identity with the Brotherhood is invalidated. Hambro states that it is necessary to make sacrifices in order to achieve the ultimate goal of the Brotherhood, which frustrates the narrator, as it means that during the narrator's time with the Brotherhood he hadn't been told the whole truth. In the narrator's eyes, this notion of sacrifice implies that the Brotherhood doesn't really care about it's members, and deems them expendable, further invalidating the his position and identity with the Brotherhood. While at first the narrator though the Brotherhood cold provide him with a unique purpose in his life and a way to escape his prior invisibility, he simply ends up being invisible again after realizing the truth about the Brotherhood: "Only in the Brotherhood had there seemed a chance for such as us, the mere glimmer of a light, but behind the polished and humane facade of Jack's eye I'd found an amorphous form and a harsh red rawness. And even that was without meaning except for me" (507). Now that the narrator has understood the way in which the Brotherhood manipulates and later disposes of its members, he once again feels as he did earlier in the book, lacking identity and a purpose. The narrator had simply been blindly following the route Brother Jack had set up for him, only now stopping to consider how much the Brotherhood actually valued and paid attention to his opinions, realizing that all the real work is done by a select few leaders in the organization. While the narrator does go back to his previous position of lacking identity that he had in the first half of the book with Bledsoe, the difference is that the narrator now knows how he is being played, and understands his invisibility, contrary to before when he simply expressed delusional, unrealistic optimism. Keeping this in mind, the narrator decides to test out his grandfather's way of progressing through life, that is, "overcome them with yeses, undermine them with grins, I'd agree them to death and destruction" (508). The narrator now understands his invisibility and decides to finally play the "game", feigning optimism and positivity in order to eventually undermine the Brotherhood.

Innocence and Delusional Optimism in Invisible Man

Having read the first half of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, we observe several situations during which our unnamed narrator exhibits unrealistic optimism with respect to the events leading up to and during his college life, resulting in multiple instances where the narrator appears disillusioned at times astonished by the harsh reality of how these events unfold. This optimism stems in part from the narrator's overwhelming, genuine desire to succeed and make something out of his life, which initially enables the him to receive a scholarship to college, but later provides fuel for the unrealistic "perfect world" scenarios which he so often envisions his future will provide. This notion of the narrator's unrealistic optimism first manifests itself during the Battle Royal scene in the first few pages of the book. We quickly learn what kind of character our narrator is, as Ellison delves deep into the narrator's reactions and thought process in response to the situation he is placed in. He seems to largely take adversity at face value, not really understanding the deeper meaning behind the mockery and exclamations of those around him, but instead appearing innocent and oblivious despite his attempts to portray himself as genuine and professional. This notion of delusional optimism is furthered during the first scene in New York, as despite the narrator just recently having been abruptly kicked out of his beloved college, he immediately dreams of his prosperous future and almost takes his return for granted. While the narrator's enthusiasm and ardor in matters of educational prestige act as the driving forces that cause the narrator to work so fervently at first, it is an excess of these forces that causes the narrator's plans to backfire, as they induce a sense of excessive optimism and inevitable greatness in the narrator, causing him to appear oblivious to the cruelty of the world around him and only strengthening the shock he feels when he finally snaps out of his delusions.

We observe the narrator's initial obliviousness during one of the first scenes of the book with the Battle Royal. The narrator is led to believe that he will be performing a speech in front of a multitude of local prosperous men in order to receive a scholarship and is told that some ambiguous event called the "Battle Royal" will be taking place beforehand which he is designated to fight in. Upon entering the Battle Royal and observing the boys who he is supposed to fight with, as well as the polished appearances the of men, the narrator immediately jumps to distinguish himself from the rest of the crowd: "I didn't care too much for the other fellows who were to take part. [...] And besides, I suspected that fighting a battle royal might detract from the dignity of my speech. [...] I felt superior to them in my way, and I didn't like the manner in which we were all crowded together into the servant's elevator" (17-18). The narrator stresses to make his distinction from the rest of the boys as clear as possible to the reader in this scene, a distinction which the wealthy spectators don't necessarily see or even care about. He feels that he is not here to fight, like all the other boys are, but is instead there to make his speech. Despite this, we can observe the beginnings of the narrator's obliviousness in this scene. While the narrator is correct is his analysis that partaking in such an activity will likely degrade from his ensuing speech, he is so preoccupied with the logistics of performing the speech itself that he fails to stop and even think about why an event such as the Battle Royal is taking place before his speech. Instead of understanding inconsequential nature of his speech and realizing that he is essentially being subject to a form of entertainment, the narrator focuses on appearing different from the rest of the boys, and indulges in his fantasy of delivering a perfect, attention-holding speech.

While the Battle Royal scene itself shows a significant ignorance, with respect to the situation at hand, of the narrator, we can observe the shocking extent of the narrator's delusional optimism and impracticality in visualizing his future when the narrator first arrives in New York following his expulsion from the college. The narrator is quick to reset and lose himself in an unrealistic future, one that involves him returning to the college in an honorable way: "Then my old confidence and optimism revived, and I tried to plan my time in the North. I would work hard and serve my employer so well that he would shower Dr. Bledsoe with favorable reports. And I would save my money and return in the fall full of New York culture. I'd be indisputably the leading campus figure" (156-157). Despite the gravity of recent events that have occurred, due to his unwavering ardor and love for the college, he immediately takes for granted the fact that New York will change him, and he will make a triumphant return to the college. Bledsoe never exactly made it clear to the narrator that he had any intention of letting him return, and we can see later that this is exactly the case, but even so he assumes this fact and carries on with his fantasies. The fact that the narrator can shrug off such devastating news as expulsion so quickly and turn immediately to planning his return back to the very same college shows the extent to which his excessive enthusiasm and unrealistic optimism have deluded him, as he fails to realize that the chances of his return, after what occurred, are slim to none. Because of the narrator's failure in this respect, the blow that he receives when Emerson shows him Bledsoe's letter is made all the more powerful.

Bigger's Refusal to Acknowledge Reality and Denial of His Environment

Early on in Richard Wright's Native Son, we get the sense that Bigger Thomas is isolated and disconnected from the dilapidated black area of Chicago where he lives. This notion manifests itself in Bigger's actions and attitudes toward several of the obstacles his life presents him with, and extends not only to his dysfunctional family dynamic, but his daily interactions with his friends and approach on life in general. Bigger's embarrassed and almost disdainful view of his family is evident almost immediately in the first few pages of Book 1, as it is clear after the rat scene that Bigger isn't exactly thrilled with his current living conditions yet despises when his family prompts him to do something to change them. Since Bigger absolutely loathes the conditions which he is forced to live in, but lacks the determination to do something about it, he resorts to simply casting all thoughts about his living situation out of his head as much as possible, essentially engaging in a mild form of reality denial. This reality denial, or perhaps more accurately termed a "refusal to acknowledge", which on the outside appears as indifference and simply portrays Bigger as aloof, is really a result of Bigger's insecurities regarding his ignorance of the intricacies of the harsh racial dynamic in Chicago and the resulting housing situation it has produced for him specifically. This concept of Bigger's refusal of reality, in conjunction with the resulting fear induced in him when forced to actually confront and acknowledge this reality, will provide explanation for several of Bigger's future outbursts and rude behavior in Book 1, causing the confusion and frustration he experiences in the altercation with Jan and Mary, and ultimately shedding light on Bigger's seemingly rash and irrational act of murdering Mary.

The complex psychology and rationale of Bigger Thomas that leads to his murdering of a young girl stems crucially from his housing conditions and position in his society, that is, his environment. We are immediately thrown into the rat predicament on only the second page of the book, showing how common and abrupt situations like these are. Bigger confronts the situation with strong resolve and a collected head, something we will not see much more of in Bigger past this point in the novel. While Bigger succeeds, his mother still scolds him and nags him to rid the house of the rat and help his sister. Bigger responds by expressing dissent towards his family, and explains how he is able to progress through his life while having to endure such difficulties daily: "He shut their voices out of his mind. He hated his family because he knew that they were suffering and that he was powerless to help them. He knew that the moment he allowed what his life meant to enter fully into his consciousness, he would either kill himself or someone else. So he denied himself and acted tough" (10). Bigger states that he despises his family primarily because of the harsh environmental conditions which they all must live in, and feels insecure about his inability to do anything to help this. Despite the fact that we later learn that this isn't true, as Bigger can get the job at the Dalton's to directly support his family, it implies that he is insecure about that fact that he is powerless to improve his family's current economic standing. He feels that if he ever "allowed what his life meant to enter fully into his consciousness," that he would be pointlessly dwelling on an insecurity which he has no power to rid himself of. To cope with this, Bigger shuts himself off from and refuses to acknowledge the realities of his world to prevent any feelings of remorse from seeping in and sustain the integrity of his tough mental resolve.

Due to the self-protective nature of the figurative bubble that Bigger that built around him as a shield from his fears and outside factors which he has no influence over, Bigger expresses some extreme and varied reactions to several situations in which he is forcefully, though at times inadvertently, dragged out of his shield of reality denial. The two major instances of this occurring in the early parts of Book 1 are when Bigger lashes out and acts disparagingly towards Gus when planning Blum's robbery and, most importantly, when confronted with kindness by Jan and Mary. The importance of these two scenes, especially the latter, are that they show that Bigger's insecurities extend beyond simply his family's poor economic situation, but instead to his ignorance and therefore discomfort in nuanced interactions regarding race. Bigger has only known racism from powerful white people throughout his childhood in Chicago, and is ignorant about people like Jan, Mary, and other communists who don't see blacks as inferior in any way. Thus, when Jan and Mary act so carefree and and amicable towards Bigger in the chauffeur scene before they enter the restaurant, Bigger understandably expresses confusion and surprise internally: "He felt ensnared in a tangle of deep shadows, shadows as black as the night that stretched above his head. The was he had acted had made her cry, and yet the way she had acted had made him feel that he had to act as he had toward her" (72). We can observe in this scene the extreme confusion that Bigger experiences when confronted by Jan and Mary's excessive kindness as he states that he is essentially only acting how he thinks Mary, that is a privileged white person, would want him to act. Whenever Bigger does something that would normally please most of the privileged whites that Bigger has encountered throughout his life, Jan and Mary are more involving of Bigger, and try to incorporate him in their activities. Jan and Mary are fundamentally challenging the perception of the black and white racial dynamic of racism that has been imprinted into Bigger's mind ever since he was born, dragging Bigger out of his bubble by causing confusion and eventual frustration in him as he attempts to understand why these two privileged whites are acting so differently towards him. Naturally, Bigger doesn't immediately understand the reasoning behind Jan and Mary's kindness and instead fosters a feeling of distrust towards them, providing explanation for his constant thought that he "hates" Mary for simply being in a situation and talking, despite her good intentions for Bigger. Bigger feels that Mary is disadvantageous to have around and that she is borderline insane for interacting with him as lightly as she does. These notions of confusion, frustration, and distrust all come together in the a feeling of fear that is gradually growing inside of Bigger whenever he is around Mary, as she forces him to think critically about Chicago's racial dynamic as well as reevaluate his place in society. This fear finally manifests it in the culminating scene of Book 1, where out of panic and fear, resulting from perceived racial drawbacks, Bigger murders Mary, almost as if Mary's kindness and blindness while viewing race actually illustrated the degree of disparity between Mary's view and the conventional view of racism, inadvertently causing Bigger to be more scared than he would have been of being caught in a white girl's room at 2 in the morning.