In our latest reading of Invisible Man, the part that especially stood out to me was the section where the narrator accidentally breaks a bank at Mary's house and then desperately tries to get rid of the pieces with no success. I thought the passage was really odd so naturally, because this is Ellison, there must be an underlying meaning.
When the narrator first breaks the bank, Mary is just outside the door and he's frantically trying to hide the pieces without her noticing that he's shattered the thing. He decides that the best way to get rid of them is to wrap them up in a napkin, hide the bundle in his coat pocket, and throw it out once he's outside. The first bin that he throws it in belongs to a white woman who flips out when she sees. She makes him pull it out, all the while yelling racist things and threatening to call the police. The narrator then decides to leave it on the street but a man notices and tries to hand it back to him. When the narrator denies that it belongs to him, the man assumes it's drugs and that the narrator is trying to frame him. After all of the lack of success, the narrator decides to just keep it in his briefcase and throw it out later.
The significance of this scene is unclear but it might represent the baggage the narrator can't seem to get rid of even as he moves on with his life. He is moving out of Mary's and getting a new apartment but he has to take something broken with him and hide it. The narrator tries to get rid of it but the white people won't let him. This could be an allegory for how, even in the North, white people won't let the narrator forget that he is black. They won't let him just throw it away and move on with his life because racial prejudices are still an important part of society. The next man the narrator meets is convinced that the narrator is destined for trouble. He assumes he is selling drugs or is concealing a gun, both stereotypes of black people. He says he hopes he ends up in jail. The narrator is surprised by the reactions of both the lady and the man but he accepts their opinions of him and keeps the bundle with him. When he gets to his new apartment, he leaves the bundle in his briefcase. A symbol of how his blackness will continue to affect his career.
I think you make a really good point about this scene, one that is reflected in the rest of the book. In chapter nine, the narrator tries to deny his southern heritage. He seems to try to be denying everything that makes him who he is on his quest for identity.
ReplyDeleteThe comment you made about not being able to rid himself of baggage is vital. We saw from the very beginning that even within the framework of his family, he can't shake these things loose (his grandfather's haunting words/curse). Perhaps his grandfather was simply preparing him for what he'd face in the years to come.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget that this is his "prize briefcase" that's now (literally) carrying the weight of this "baggage"--itself a symbol of the compromises he's had to make on the road to "success." We might consider some parallels between the "Feed Me" coin-eating bank and the narrator's own scholarship (and/or fat initial paycheck from the Brotherhood).
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really good point. I was trying to figure out what exactly this scene meant and I think that you have a really good interpretation. It's also interesting to think about why he couldn't just apologize to Mary and maybe offer to replace it (after all he does have a lot of money right now). I think this scene definitely shows that even though the Narrator wants to move on and forget things easily (like his first dream, or the Vet's lessons), he really isn't able to get rid of them.
ReplyDeleteWow I really like this concept because we do see him trying to evade his blackness throughout the book. As he moves from place to place, he seems to try to get father from any acknowledgement that he will be held back because he is black. When he fights the other black men in the ring, he doesn't care because he moves on to get further education (to get away from becoming a poor, black man). Then he goes to the school where he is ends up with black veterans that he is ashamed of. He tries to run away from becoming a certain type of black man without questioning why so many are in terrible situations. The baggage could indeed be a constant reminder of who he is.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting concept. I find it amazing how I was able to read the scene where the narrator breaks a bank without thinking anything of it. You have opened up a whole new world for me as a reader. Throughout the novel, the narrator is trying to get rid of his blackness. In this scene, he sort of gives up because he can't find a place to put the garbage but is forced to settle with it and let it linger.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say you presented this argument very convincingly; I don't really have a lot to say beyond that
ReplyDelete(this is not one of my eight comments or w/e lol)
Great Post! I loved this scene int he book because i thought it said so much about the narrators place int he world. He is literally just trying to throw a broken piggy bank out. And yes it is evidence to him, but it is nothing dangerous or criminal. But the people see the worst in him, they assume the worst. Because he is black he can't even throw something out. When people talk about racism i think seemingly ordinary things like this that are made difficult based on someone being a minority can have a big impact on how we see that person's world.
ReplyDeleteYou explicated your point very clearly and I think you convince anyone that this is exactly what's going on. Earlier in the novel, we see the narrator doesn't necessarily realize the extent of how his blackness affects him in life, but with this scene, it's as if all of the trials and tribulations he has experienced up to this point have finally allowed him to realize it will be with him for the rest of his life, it's all in how he faces the problems he will encounter.
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