Invisible Man Entry #2

            Welcome back to your favorite activity of the week!  Since I accidentally included chapter three’s exciting details in my last entry, I’m going to pick up in chapter four this time.  So this Bledsoe guy seems to be a little sketchy and fairly unforgiving as he quickly judges our mysterious narrator.  After the excitement from the first three chapters, our beloved narrator brings Mr. Norton back to his room, only to be met with hostility from this Bledsoe guy.  Bledsoe chastises the narrator for bending to the wishes of Mr. Norton and taking him to the slave living areas by saying they “take these white folks where we want them to go, show them what we want them to see” (102).  The narrator claims Bledsoe has been kind to him in the past, but it seems interesting that he would advocate for only showing the prominent white folks certain aspects of the black peoples’ lives, as if trying to keep up the preconceived stereotype many  white folks of the day most likely bought into. Why do you think Bledsoe was so adamant in his point of only letting the white folk, namely Mr. Norton, see certain aspects of the slave life?  Chapter five is very insightful into the desires of the narrator’s heart.  While hearing the chapel speaker, Reverend Barbee, a chord is struck in the narrator’s heart about the founder of the college and his story of overcoming violent beginnings, escaping slavery, learning to read and write and ultimately founding this institution.  Do you think the narrator thinks of himself as a slave, even though he has a job?  Chapter six is pretty strange as well.  Bledsoe is still angry with the narrator for taking Norton to the slave region, and admonishes him that he should have been able to lie his way out of following Mr. Norton’s orders. Bledsoe threatens to punish the narrator, but ends up sending him to New York for a summer to earn his way back to school.  The narrator still seems to be passive and meek in the eyes of authority, which he remembers his grandfather warned against on his deathbed.  Can’t wait to hear your responses!           

Invisible Man 1

This book is definitely going to be an interesting read.  So much happened in the first three chapters I barely know where to begin.  In chapter one, the narrator talks a lot about his grandparents and the change they experienced after slavery of taking the mindset of being separate but equal.  It seems that the narrator attempted to emulate his grandfather’s mannerisms, being passive and meek in his community, namely with the white folks.  The narrator evidently thinks he is doing the will of his family, but is shocked when he hears his grandfather speaking harshly to his father about being too compliant to the whites and bending under the pressure to remain different.  The grandfather called on the narrator’s father to undermine the agenda of the white folks and “agree ‘em to death and destruction”.  This phrase could be referring to the Biblical death and destruction stemming from sins committed. Perhaps the grandfather is warning his family to not sink to the level of the whites and commit the same sins and let those who believe themselves to be so righteous to fall from their own sins.  The narrator also relates of his strange acceptance to college.  The fight scene didn’t make much sense to me.  I don’t understand why this would be allowed to happen if these black boys were technically free.  However, the narrator’s life seems to change when he receives the bag with his acceptance letter in it, almost like a new life was beginning for him. 

            The narrator’s tale about his job of driving Mr. Norton around.  The narrator seems to regret taking this prestigious man to such dark places as the Trueblood house, as he is despised by the community.  Norton seems to go into a sort of trance as he listens to the weird life story of this Jim Trueblood guy and offers him money.  The narrator becomes concerned for Norton and attempts to take him to a bar to revive him with a drink.  This Norton guy seems to be pretty touchy and wimpy.  Why do you think this wealthy, prestigious man is so sensitive and willing to help Trueblood? And why do you the narrator admires Norton so much?