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.
Great entry Kristen! You made some very interesting observations and points about this section. In response to your question, I think the narrator is the only one who thinks Bledsoe has ulterior motives for sending him to New York. As we discussed in class, the narrator seems to automatically assume everyone hates him and could care less about his life. The narrator most likely is now taking this same approach with Bledsoe, even though he told Bledsoe he was not angry. Perhaps Bledsoe truly wants to teach the narrator a lesson and give him opportunity to work for his education, but it is also very plausible that Bledsoe feels threatened by the narrator and only wants to preserve his reputation. I can't wait to see what you write next!
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