Driven Underground Invisible Man--Chapter 21-Epilogue

Tod’s Funeral IM intends to galvanize blacks back into the Harlem movement, but he also wants to give Tod’s life it’s lost integrity: “we’ll use his funeral to put his integrity together again” (448) Does it? IM’s eulogy—not “correct”, but the emotions at the funeral don’t fit Br.hood theory; critiques Tod’s hope in Brotherhood: “he thought it would make him more human, but he died like any dog in a road” (457) Lesson: Tod’s murder is a death/confinement for all Blacks (458-9)

Confrontation with Brotherhood His use of “personal responsibility” recalls the speech at Battle Royal, but he doesn’t back down here, almost slips into vernacular (463) IM prioritizes Tod’s humanity over the political “treason” of selling “obscene dolls” (467) Calls out Bro. Tobitt, who’s paternalistic towards blacks because he’s married to a black woman: “Was it by immersion or injection” (468)

Break With Brotherhood Realizes that they’re out to manipulate the community and don’t care about it’s needs, values, “mistaken and infantile notions”: “Our job is not to ask them what they think but to tell them” (473) Br.hood. refuses to see a racial dimension to Clifton’s murder or to Harlem, this refusal is another form of racism. Told to stay in his place- “you were not hired to think” (469) One-Eyed Jack indicative of the Brotherhood’s blindness: “He doesn’t even see me” (475)

Rinehart Simply by wearing hat and glasses, he not only becomes someone else, but someone who manipulates the possibilities of invisibility: “They see the hat, not me. There is a magic in it. It hides me right in front of their eyes” (485) Roles of Rinehart: lover (483-4), hipster (484), zoot suiter (485), fighter (488-9), pimp (494), preacher (495)

Lessons from Rinehart Not everyone is fooled by IM’s disguise: his lover, the numbers woman, and the pool hall men can tell the difference To be Rinehart: “You got to have a smooth tongue, a heartless heart and be ready to do anything” (493) “If dark glasses and a white hat could blot out my identity so quickly, who actually was who?” (493) “His world was possibility and he knew it. He was years ahead of me and I was a fool. I must have been crazy and blind. In “a hot world of fluidity,…Rine the rascal was at home. Perhaps only Rine the rascal was at home in it.” (498)

Trying to Follow Grandfather’s Advice Attempts to use his newly discovered invisibility to sabotage the Brotherhood: “So I’d accept it, I’d explore it, rine and heart.” (508) “I’d make invisibility felt if not seen” (509) Is he successful?

His Plan Fails Sybil sees him as a black rapist, sexual primitive, has been conditioned to see interracial sex as rape Her limited, negative view of black male sexuality reinforces IM’s invisibility; he not a man, but a bundle of stereotypes Forces him to admit his invisibility (526) (528)

The Riot Other forms of Black leadership emerge in Scofield: burning down the decrepit building is an act of retaliation, proves himself another type of leader (547), one who catalyzes the group for action without long speeches (548) IM’s blames the Brotherhood and himself: “And I had helped, had been a tool. A tool just at the very moment I had thought myself free” (553)

Confrontation with Ras Doesn’t want to fight Ras, wants people to pull back a recognize how they’ve been manipulated: “They want the streets to flow with blood; your blood...” (558) Kills him: what drives him to defend his life? Look at p 559

Down, Underground Does he actually have the white men in his briefcase? (566) “This is the way it’s always been, only now I know it” (566) Recognizes his betrayal: “That he, or anyone at that late date, could have named me and set me running with one and the same stroke of the pen was too much” (568)

The Dream Why are Ras, old Emerson, Bled., Norton, and Jack linked in the IM’s imagination? (569) His castration dream: how do his testicles constitute “their” world?

Epilogue Tries to understand his grandfather’s advice (574) “..I have stayed in my hole, because up above there’s an increasing passion to make men conform to a pattern” (576) Will he emerge from his hole or not?