The Other Brother Invisible Man: Chapters 15-20

The Brotherhood Though the Communist Party never attracted large numbers of blacks, it did galvanize blacks politically on a number of issues—Eric Sundquist Appealed to the “science” of history to construct a viable political theory: “Communism, revolutionary Marxism, bases its program and conclusions not upon vague and indefinable sentiment but upon a scientific analysis and an objective evaluation of social relations and class forces” (Will Herberg, “Marxism and the American Negro”, 1934)

The Sambo Bank Can’t get rid of it, he’s interpreted in two different ways: first, his Southern-ness is emphasized (328); then, his New York- ness (320) Why can’t he get rid of this thing?

1 st Brotherhood Speech Boxing resurfaces; fighter blinded in the ring foreshadowing: “he had been beaten blind in a crooked fight,…the scandal had been suppressed, and …the fighter had died in a home for the blind” (334) This significantly marks what he considers to be a rebirth: “I was becoming someone else” (335) Chooses a “down-home” rhetorical style, and his highest point of audience response comes when he admits his increasing humanity (346)

Ras the Exhorter Critiques Brotherhood, emphasizes the need for black-centered political and social action: “You my brother, mahn. Brothers are the same color; how the hell you call these white men brother?…We sons of Mama Africa, you done forgot?” (370-1) Says that black men fighting each other is crazy: “Is that consciousness, scientific understanding? Is that the modern black mahn of the 20 th century?” (372) His questions bring the IM back to “the horror of the battle royal” (372)

Red “Checks Cashed Here” Sign Illuminates the debate between Ras, Tod, and IM; contextualizes the stakes of their position by emphasizing the economic underdevelopment of this neighborhood Ras claims Harlem as his territory, won’t share it with white interlopers or black traitors: “They white, they don’t have to be allies with no black people. They get what they wahnt, they turn against you. Where’s your black intelligence?” (375)

Brother Tarp 19 years on the chain gang for trying to keep his property, lost everything, but resisted; has psychosomatic limp Gives it to IM to symbolize the struggle: “it’s got a heap of signifying wrapped up in it and it might help you remember what we’re really fighting against” (388) Does he understand this legacy? Does he see this in relation to his warning note? Compare this with the intact chain on Bledsoe’s desk

Brother Wrestrum Believes that black racial specificity must be erased in order for Brotherhood to succeed Deep, fervent commitment to Brotherhood: “This business of being a brother is a full-time job” (394) ‘Takes him to the mat’ for opportunism; intra- racial infighting for a white audience ( ) Gets IM demoted to the “Woman Question”

Class Struggle, Ass Struggle We don’t get to hear his speeches on the Woman Question, but we see his fling with a married white woman The seduction is marked by primitivism, and his attempt to flee is overcome by biology and desire Thinks of “forgotten stories of male servants summoned to wash the mistress’s back; chauffeurs sharing the master’s wives; Pullman porters invited into the drawing room of rich wives…But this is the Movement, the Brotherhood” (416)

Back to Harlem “Returning to the district was like returning to a city of the dead” (428) The Brotherhood has abandoned Harlem, a new focus on national and international, rather than local issues: “the interests of Harlem were not of first importance” (429)

Tod (and) the Dancing Sambo “Shake him, shake him you cannot break him/…you don’t have to feed him, he sleeps collapsed, he’ll kill your depression/and your dispossession, he lives upon the sunshine of your lordly smile/And only 25 cents, the brotherly two bits…” (432) Comment on the black man’s place in the Brotherhood, but the IM doesn’t get it “But he knew that only in the Brotherhood could we make ourselves known, could we avoid being empty Sambo dolls” (434)

Tod’s Murder and the Zoot Suiters Leads IM to question the nature of history: “But the cop would be Clifton’s historian, his judge, his witness, and his executioner, and I was the only brother in the watching crowd” (439) Questions the Brotherhood, begins to see other elements of his community for the first time: values the zoot-suiters (441) “They’d been here all along, but somehow I’d missed them.” (443) Zoot Suiters: “Outside the groove of history”— “they’re a manifestation of a street culture centered on black jazz”—Sundquist