Invisible Man Journal Entry 2

       Well, Bledsoe is quite the character. He seems to change a lot depending on who he is dealing with. When he is talking with the rich, white donor, Mr. Norton, he is servant-like and doting. This changes dramatically when he is with the narrator. Bledsoe goes against his word to Mr. Norton, and decides to punish the narrator for bringing Mr. Norton to Trueblood and all the other places that followed. Bledsoe is also very rude to the narrator and says, “Haven’t you the sense God gave a dog? We take these white folks where we want them to go, we show them what we want them to see” (102). This shows his manipulative manner towards people who he thinks he can extort. He wants the white people to be happy so that they will continue paying. The narrator is confused by his actions and notices that his voice is laced with “a strange grandmotherly concern” when talking to Mr. Norton (103). Bledsoe puts on a facade with certain people, but the narrator is able to see the truth behind his actions. Do you think that’s the reason Bledsoe sent the narrator to New York? Or was their another reason behind it? I was also shocked that Bledsoe had slave shackles in his office. I think that Bledsoe is not loyal to his own race and is more concerned about power. He keeps a symbol of torment and torture in his office and has it out when his is talking to the narrator about his punishment. This shows his lack of morals and also his extreme measures to stay in power. 

I also thought the part with Barbee’s sermon was interesting. He speaks about the Founder, who apparently does not have a real name. Despite this, his story is told and impacts the narrator. It seemed to be a story of perseverance and the narrator likes that, but also feels guilt over his actions. Barbee is also an interesting character. His name is Homer and he is blind. Ellison really went for it with that character allusion. Both men are story tellers and speak their stories in a public arena. It will interesting to see if Ellison develops Barbee more to bring out some other connections. So far, to me at least, I think that the only significant thing that it shows is that the story of the Founder is very important. Homer wrote some of the most important and studied stories in the Iliad and the Odyssey. Since the Homer in Invisible Man is telling the story of the Founder it gives the story more merit and importance in the history of the school. I am guessing that there is more to that, but it was an interesting connection. 

Partner Journal-Invisible Man

       Well cheers to our newest book journaling! In the prologue I thought it was very interesting to learn about the invisible man. He seems to be at war with everyone. When the man is insulted he never backs down. Instead, he stands up for himself and fights the man that insulted him. I think that this reflects the kind of man that he is. Although he sees himself as invisible he is still willing to fight and not be trampled by others, especially the white men. I think that the racism in the piece is very evident. At the end of the prologue, the invisible man says "He,let us say, was lost in a dream world. But didn't he control that dream" (14). This shows his view of how society works. The white people are in control and valued because of the color of their skin. The police would have blamed the invisible man based solely on his race. This social commentary helps to develop the piece as a critique of society and point out the injustice through the eyes of someone experiencing it. 

I also thought it was interesting that he uses so many lightbulbs. Symbolically, that could represent his desire to be seen and also his attempt to find himself. The conflicts of this story so far have been internal and external. The invisible man has to fight society and their view of him, and his internal struggle to find himself. It will be interesting to see how the resolution of these problems will play out. 

The past of the invisible man was also very tragic, and once again shows the cruelty and inequality of the society. Being forced to fight and then be pushed into an electric rug is terrible. The white men also ignore the man’s speech and laugh despite the obvious work that he had to put into it. They are only interested when he accidentally says “social inequality”. He is then rewarded for this with a briefcase and scholarship. Why do you think that all the men reacted to the invisible man’s slip up with such force?