Dispossessing the Dispossessed (Invisible Man 318-408)

"WE ARE THE TRUE PATRIOTS! THE CITIZENS OF TOMORROW'S WORLD! WE'LL BE DISPOSSESSED NO MORE!" (Ellison 346).

In this section, we find the Invisible Man experiencing a sort of hyper-exposure of the dissenting movements taking place in Harlem. From the mysterious re-writing of "history" by the Brotherhood to the Pan-African/Black Supremacy philosophy of Ras the Exhorter.  IM is bombarded by different takes on the most effective plan of action for blacks in Harlem. (Although, interestingly, no concrete plans are ever spoken of; just promoting the cause, fighting dispossession, and hating the white man).  

Throughout the 50's and 60's, one of the most prominent (if not THE most prominent) advocate of racial equality (and arguably supremacy) was Malcolm X. After avoiding the draft by obtaining the status of "mentally disqualified for military service," Malcolm X (Malcolm Little at the time) took to robbing the houses of wealthy white families in Boston. After a life-altering encounter with a member of the Nation of Islam during his prison sentence, Little emerged reborn and energized. An advocate of black supremacy, complete separation of races, and Pan-Africanism.  Often opposed to the popular civil rights movement (famously led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) Malcolm X was frequently criticized by members of the movement who believed his stance too radical, and even oppositional to the goal of the movement (integration, racial equality, and peaceful negotiations). He even went as far as to call the famous March on Washington a demonstration "run by whites in front of a statue of a president who has been dead for a hundred years and who didn't like us when he was alive."  Malcolm X could take up eight blog posts, so I'm going to leave it as a brief run-down of an influential individual whom I'm sure all of you have spent some significant time studying already.

What I would like to to; however, is to make some connections between Malcolm X and some of the characters in Invisible Man.  Very active in Harlem, Malcolm X can clearly be seen in the words and actions of several individuals in the novel.  The most obvious connection can be made with Ras the Exhorter. Ras has a polar opposite approach to the advancement of his race. Instead of manipulatively appeasing like Bledsoe or rewriting "history" like the brotherhood, Ras chooses to completely separate the races. He invites IM to, "...build a glorious movement of black people. Black People!" (Ellison 371).  We can even see a connection between Malcolm X and the Invisible Man: primarily in the way they give speeches.  Both inflammatory in nature, and featuring some major call-and-response portions, they eerily mirror one another.  An additional connection between IM & MX can be seen in Malcolm X's response to his involvement in the Nation of Islam. Two days before his assasination, he claimed, "I was a zombie then--like all Muslims-- I was hypnotized, pointed in a certain direction, and told to march." Although he might not realize it himself, the IM is a perfect embodiment of this concept. Throughout the novel, he has striven to do everything he can to meet the important people and unearth, "all the secrets of power and authority," (Ellison 407).  He's consistently disappointed, however the Brotherhood is the closest he's gotten to these "secrets."

The first notable chunk of text in this section comes at the very beginning. For the first time, the IM notices a cast-iron figure in his room at Mary's.  He describes it as, "a very black, red-lipped and wide-mouthed Negro, whose white eyes stared up at me from the floor, his face an enormous grin, his single large black hand held palm up before his chest. It was a bank... [whose] expression seemed more of a strangulation than a grin. It was choking, filled to the throat with coins," (Ellison 319).  By referring to him as a "negro," the Invisible Man recalls the terminology and attitudes  used in the oppressive South he's constantly trying to escape. The fact that the figure is choking on the coins mirrors the IM's pursuit of the traditional, materialistic, "white" lifestyle he is constantly in pursuit of; that of the Bledsoes, the Nortons, the Brother Jacks, and the Founders.  The IM is strangled by his pursuits, in a sense.

"' And you, mahn...a reglar little black devil! A godahm sly mongoose! Where you think you from, going with the white folks? I know, godahm; don't I know it! You from down South! You from Trinidad! You from Barbados! Jamaica, South Africa, and the white mahn's foot in  your ass all the way to the hip. What you trying to deny by betraying the black people? Why you fight against us? You young black men with plenty education; I been hearing your rabble rousing. Why you go over to the enslaver? What kind of education is that? What kind of black mahn is that who betray his own mama?'" (Ellison 371)

In his interaction with Ras, the IM finds himself bombarded by the doctrines and opinions of the Garvey/Malcolm X figure.  Ras simplifies the pursuits of the IM to, "betraying the black people," and even his own mother. IM and Clifton both respond in removed, mechanical ways.   Ras is challenging the core of what the Brotherhood is trying to accomplish, and sounding quite convincing in the midst of his rabble.  

Questions

1. It is clear that the image of the cast-iron negro figure haunts the IM. Is he able to escape the stereotypes of the Southern black that seem to follow him? Why/Why not?

2. a. Does the IM actually say anything in his inflammatory speech on dispossession? Let's chat...

    b. Why do the Brotherhood show so much interest in the IM when it clear that his speeches aren't             really saying anything?

3. Do you think IM, Clifton, and the Brotherhood are "betratying the black people?" Why/Why not?