Different Flowers, Same Seed
As we continue to read Invisible Man, I have noticed some stark contrasts between the narrator and Bigger Thomas. Regardless, I have also begun to notice some similarities between situations both characters have been in, as well as factors that have affected them.
In Native Son, Bigger has to kill the rat in his apartment, illustrating his shabby living situations. Similarly, when the narrator is living with Mary he sees cockroaches in the house, illustrating a similar sort of poor living space. Moreover, each character's personality is significantly impacted by peoples perceptions of them. In Native Son, Bigger uses the negative stereotype of Black men to try to get away with his murder, while in Invisible Man, the narrator is trying to break these stereotypes to create a new more positive image of the Black man.
These instances are interesting to me because it seems as if Ellison, in response to Native Son, has included environmental similarities to show how different people can be born from a similar 'mold'. While Bigger Thomas and the narrator are vastly different characters, seen even from the beginning, it is interesting to see just how different they are, when they experience similar things. Though the narrator and Bigger Thomas both encounter this naive sort of "white savior" character, seen by Mary, Jan, and Mr. Emerson's son, their reactions to them are different. While Bigger's reaction is to continue to serve them, and follow along with what they ask, despite his discomfort, the narrator is more angered, raising his temper with Mr. Emerson's son. Though many differences are present within these situations, the small similarities caught my eye. I find myself questioning Ellison's intent when placing these deliberate similarities, as a response to Native Son.
It is very possible I am reading into these characters a bit too much, and trying to find ways to connect them where there are none, nevertheless I ask are these two characters related? and if they are directly related, is it possible for there to be some kind of idea where they are two different people, built from a similar mold? In my previous post I ended with a metaphor on hating the player and hating the game, and I shall continue these random metaphors but with nature. Is it possible Bigger and the Narrator are created as two different flowers, stemming from the same seed?
I think that a key difference between not just the characters but the novels is that Bigger's life and personality is created from his place in society. If we interpret Native Son as a protest novel, this fits perfectly with the idea that Bigger is not truly a "character" but a symbol for the hardships that one might go through living in the US as a black person. This doesn't necessarily mean that all black people react the same as Bigger, but the message of the author seems to be that sometimes unfair situations can completely change someones life. In contrast, the narrator in Invisible Man is not a character created by how he grew up, but from the experiences that he makes throughout the novel. Using your analogy at the end, I'd say that Bigger is the roots while the narrator of Invisible Man is the stem.
ReplyDeleteI think the main difference to the stark contrast that ends up happening is the character's mentality in life. With Bigger, he simply just doesn't believe that he can do anything to change society or his situation. He almost blinds himself with this mentality, and ends up going a really dark road because he accepted this "murderous rapist black man" that he keeps convincing himself he must be since all the whites around him believe him to be that role. On the other hand, the narrator from invisible man never really has this mentality. Instead, we see how he was very trusting at the start and as the story goes on, he grew into a more rebellious person, starting will wanting to kill someone who he wanted to be at one point. This mentality created two very different people.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good point. As you said, from what we got to see in his life, Bigger didn't have any more big hopes or dreams or really a belief that he could do something with his life. However, the narrator was almost the opposite. He seemed to think he could get big titles and positions and really dreamed himself being a Bledsoe figure. His aspirations have changed drastically (I mean now he wants to kill Bledsoe), but he still can see himself as this influential figure in the brotherhood. It'll be interesting as the book continues if he becomes more like Bigger or if he continues to have these hopes.
DeleteI agree that there are many similarities between Native Son and Invisible Man, often it feels like Ellison is responding to Wright in his own unique and hidden way. For example both Invisible Man's narrator and Bigger are taken in, by the Daltons or the Brotherhood, and are often put in uncomfortable situations. As you mentioned Ellison could be using his narrator to show how the same circumstances can produce different individuals that react to these uncomfortable situations in unique ways. When Bigger is asked to sing a song of his people he is stressed due to Jan and Mary's expectations while in the brotherhood the narrator is almost upset that he isn't given the opportunity to sing after the drunk brother is driven off.
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