North Vs. South In The Invisible Man

Within the novel North and South used as contrasting places, which represent a shift of ideals not only in the residents of the area, but in the narrator as well. The South is most heavily represented in the first 6 chapters of the novel and where chapters 8-25 take place in the North. The south takes on the characteristic if an old way of thinking with ridged boundaries between black and white, where the North represents a greater flexibility when it comes to traditional ideas. However, with in the book the distinctions between the two geological locations are not as cut and dry as limiting and free or conservative and liberal. The north enlightens the invisible man to the backward ways of the South, but also introduces him to a more subtle
form of racism and predacious. The environment in the North is unfriendly and cold, creating pressure which makes the Invisible Man feel like he needs to distance himself from his roots, for example not ordering the pork chops or his initial guilt when he wants a (p.178, 266). In addition, summarily to the South there is a division of race, although not as rigidly segregated, New York is divided by predominantly black Harlem and predominantly white downtown. Although North and South within the novel share similar qualities, in general, the North provides greater freedoms to breach the barrier that divide the races, or so it provided the illusion. The similarities suggest that perception can be flawed and nothing should be followed blindly.

Within the novel there are multiple types of failed leadership seen through characters Bledsoe, Norton, Jack, Ras, Clifton, and the narrator. Examining the white characters, Mr. Norton and Brother Jack, they have different ways of achieving their goal, however, both of their goals quite similar: help the black community. Equally misguided, Norton and Jack believe the advancement of the black community relies heavily on them, however, they show them self’s to be hypocritical. As for the black leaders in the book Ras the Exhorter represents a radical leader, his ideals do not support racial equality, but further segregation and violence. Clifton is represented as a competent and confident black man, however, he felt conflicted to the point that he forwent being treated as a figurehead for the Brotherhood, but didn’t understand enough what he did believe so he fell into taking advantage of black stenotypes in order to survive. As for the Invisible Man, he shares many qualities with Clifton, but because he was able to compound his believes, he was able to begin work towards effecting change by taking down what was hindering it, however, he was to late to be effective. Through the examples in the novel it is clear what Ellison believes are bad qualities for a leader for the black community, which makes it safe to assume what perhaps he believes are appropriate qualities in a leader. Ellison’s definition for a great American leader for the black community would be a black American who begins leadership with strong notions that people who are affected by prodigious should be key members in the movement to fight it and with the belief that progress is made though logic and enlightenment not through physical violence, which would only further polarize the argument.

A bildungsroman is a narrative that follows a character that gains incites from real world experiences, which can be seen thorough out the “Invisible Man”. The novel contains a loss of normality, a forced shift from routine, when the narrator is expelled from college and is sent off to New York City, where he continues to endure bedrail from people who he believes he can trust, resulting in self-realization where he becomes striped of his illusions. The narrator thorough personal experience sees his life with renewed clarity, understanding that his experiences shape his identity and that he is apart of history.

The Invisible Man’s journey from South to North parallels the plight of fleeing slaves from southern slave states to northern free states, and even after the abolition of slavery to flee from a more traditional view to a more liberal one.
Much like the vision of the North for fleeing slaves, it wasn’t the safe haven expected to be: the North however more liberal is riddled with racism and discrimination. While in the city the Invisible Man has trouble finding a job and takes up work the first chance offered, which happens to be a paint factory with the titled “Keep America Pure with Liberty Paints” and with the slogan “If It’s Optic White, It’s Right” and under the management of Mr. Kimbro a man referred to by his employees as “[a] slave driver” (p.196, 199). The Invisible Man has to take up this job to have money to live, essentially becoming a slave to the company, which will pay enough to sustain life, but not enough to get ahead. This parallels issues escaped blacks would encounter; in order to survive they had to take low paying jobs that would never allow them to advance or provided for their children with opportunity so they could advance in society. The Invisible Man’s realization of the manipulative forces of the Brotherhood represents the emancipation, he is free from the illusion that the organization is trying to help him and fellow black Americans. However, just like the newly freed salves realized after the abolition of slavery, the whites that held control had had so much power previously they could still negatively affect their lives after they no longer had official control over them, in the book this can be seen in the Brotherhoods involvement in the
riot.