Olive's African American Literature Blog

 An ongoing theme throughout Invisible Man by Ralph Edison is the narrators ongoing and changing perception of his grandfathers last words. The topic is mentioned first at the beginning of chapter one and then then again during the epilogue. I think the way the narrator views his grandfathers message can symbolize his mindset at that time.  On his deathbed, the narrators grandfather tells his son (the narrators father) "Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy's country ever since I give up my gun back in the Reconstruction. Live with your head in the lion's mouth. I want you to overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction, let 'em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open." (Ellison 16). Everyone immediately thought he had gone crazy in his last moments, rushing the children from the r...

        In the first chapter of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the narrator attends an event where he presents a speech in hopes of receiving a scholarship. At this event, the narrator is forced to participate in some sort of battle for the audience’s own entertainment. When they finally remember he was supposed to present a speech, he must talk while blood fills his mouth and his eye throbs. The audience still makes fun of the narrator as he talks. Despite the racist remarks and physical pain inflicted on the author during this event and chapter, when he receives the scholarship he is completely overjoyed and ignores any ill feelings that experience should have given him.  In chapter sixteen, readers observe the narrator give another speech, however the way the event plays out is completely conflicting with the first speech he gave in chapter one. In this chapter, the narrator is giving a speech for the brotherhood, a seemingly progressive organization. The ...