Battle Royal
1. Choose one symbol or image and discuss it's importance in the story.
One very important symbol in this first chapter is the blindfold that the narrator is required to wear during the battle royal. This physical blindness is also representative of the symbolic blindness that the narrator holds towards the world in his young age. The narrator writes at the beginning of the chapter, “first I had to discover that I am an invisible man.” His blindness in this sense is simply an unwillingness to see the harsh reality of his life. Blindness in this sense is crucial to the text, and exists as an underlying theme not only in the battle royal scene, but also throughout the rest of the novel.
2. Choose one character and discuss his role in the story.
The Narrator’s grandfather plays a significant role in this story by offering very ambiguous advice to the narrator. Though the narrator takes after his grandfather in many ways, he seems to have had many negative experiences with him as well, further adding to this ambiguity. On his death bed, the narrator’s grandfather expresses regret that he was a traitor all of his life. Since he is unclear about who he was a traitor to, the narrator is left with the advice to change somehow, but does not know what or how he needs to change. The narrator suffers much internal conflict about how he should act in society, and this is only complicated by his past relationship with his grandfather.
3. Did viewing this story change or deepen your reaction to it in any way? The cruel way that the rich white men treated the narrator and the other black people in this scene was much deepened by watching this scene. The visual aspects that were so apparent in this reenactment, like the sneers and aloof attitudes of the white men, really strengthened the effect of this scene. Even something as simple as the constant repetition of the word “boy” in reference to the narrator was enough to have an impact on me. I was better able to
One very important symbol in this first chapter is the blindfold that the narrator is required to wear during the battle royal. This physical blindness is also representative of the symbolic blindness that the narrator holds towards the world in his young age. The narrator writes at the beginning of the chapter, “first I had to discover that I am an invisible man.” His blindness in this sense is simply an unwillingness to see the harsh reality of his life. Blindness in this sense is crucial to the text, and exists as an underlying theme not only in the battle royal scene, but also throughout the rest of the novel.
2. Choose one character and discuss his role in the story.
The Narrator’s grandfather plays a significant role in this story by offering very ambiguous advice to the narrator. Though the narrator takes after his grandfather in many ways, he seems to have had many negative experiences with him as well, further adding to this ambiguity. On his death bed, the narrator’s grandfather expresses regret that he was a traitor all of his life. Since he is unclear about who he was a traitor to, the narrator is left with the advice to change somehow, but does not know what or how he needs to change. The narrator suffers much internal conflict about how he should act in society, and this is only complicated by his past relationship with his grandfather.
3. Did viewing this story change or deepen your reaction to it in any way? The cruel way that the rich white men treated the narrator and the other black people in this scene was much deepened by watching this scene. The visual aspects that were so apparent in this reenactment, like the sneers and aloof attitudes of the white men, really strengthened the effect of this scene. Even something as simple as the constant repetition of the word “boy” in reference to the narrator was enough to have an impact on me. I was better able to