Motifs in Invisible Man
...er’s symbolic blindness is the actual blindness of the man who sings the Founder’s praises, Homer Barbee. Barbee can only see the Founder through blind eyes, in which the Founder appears godlike. Because Barbee’s blindness prevents him from seeing people for who they really are, he praises Bledsoe, who is essentially ruthless and manipulative. Barbee’s blindness is representative of his inability to be an accurate judge of character. In the narrator’s first speech for the Brotherhood, he spoke of black people as “one-eyed mice” (343), with the other eye having been put out by white men. Brother Jack is also one-eyed, unable to see anything except what the Brotherhood permits him to see. When Jack loses his glass eye, the narrator realizes for the first time that Jack has never acknowledged the speaker’s existence as a human being. It is evident through these examples that the imagery of blindness is consistent throughout the novel. Upon discovering that he is invisible in his surroundings, the narrator believes that he has found his true identity. It is not that others refuse to see the narrator’s physical presence, but that they refuse to see who he is. His invisibility lies in the lack of understanding that others have for him as a person. Instead of people seeing him as the person that he is, they see him as a stereotype of their belief. This invisibility is something that the narrator has come to accept, and even embrace, proclaiming that he was never alive “until he discovered his invisibility” (7). There are many instances throughout the novel in which the characters have refused to see the narrator. During the narrator’s fight with a white man that was recounted in the Prologue, the narrator remembers his invisibility and suddenly realizes that the person “had not seen” (5) him. However, the white man does see him, but only as an inferior black man who does not deserve an apology for being run into on a dark street. The narrator convinces himself that he is only a “phantom” (5). When speaking to Mr. Norton, the war vet describes the idea of invisibility and the idea of repressing one’s emotions. Because of this subjugation, according to the vet, the black men become less than human. They become invisible. By joining the Brotherhood, the narrator was given an opportunity to become a leader. As the speaker gained fame and notoriety for his inspiring speeches, he soon realizes that what he is being recognized for and what people are expecting of him, is not truly for him, but rather for his false identity that was given to him. The narrator’s new identity has placed him in the center of thousands of people’s attention, yet he remains unseen. In fact, throughout most of the story, the narrator remains invisible to many people in society. The story is filled with the motif of dolls as if to constantly remind the reader that no one is in complete control of themselves. Through the subtle use of dolls, Ellison is able to illustrate the fact that the narrator is like a doll himself. The Invisible Man recognizes that for all of his life, he has been a slave and a puppet to others. There has always been an imperceptible string attached to him, governing everything that he does. Though the motif of dolls is subtle in the story, it still plays a prominent role throughout the novel. The first example of a doll motif is in the battle royal scene. The nude, blonde woman is described as having hair “that was yellow like that of a circus kewpie doll” (19). Ellison draws a strong connection between the plight of the...