Essay about Symbols in the Briefcase in “Invisible Man” by...

Towards the end of the book â€Å"Invisible Man† by Ralph Ellison, the narrator who remains unnamed thought the entire book, risks his life to save a briefcase filled with seemingly random assorted items. But later in the book the narrator is forced to burn the items in his briefcase in order to find his way out of a sewer he gets stuck in. Closer reading reveals that the items in his briefcase are more than random assorted items, but instead are symbols. Each one of those symbols represents a point in the narrator’s life where he is either betrayed or made â€Å"invisible† by the people around him. Through the book the two main recurring themes are betrayal and invisibility and the narrator keeps these symbols with him because they represent who he†¦show more content†¦The crowd continually asks him to repeat himself and at one point the narrator miss speaks and says â€Å"social equality† instead of â€Å"social responsibility.† This imme diate arouses the whites in the crowd. When they yell threats at him he Denys what he said and claims that the blood in his mouth caused him to misspeak. In this incident the whites in the crowd immediately stop any variation from what they want to hear coming out of the mouth of an African American. This is another way that he is oppressed into being what people want him to be and therefore becoming invisible. The narrator also feels betrayed when he sees Clifton with the doll. At that time the narrator still considered himself a part of the brotherhood, and since the brotherhood would never allow such a thing to be sold, Clifton is betraying the brotherhood and also the narrator himself. Another symbolic item in the narrator’s briefcase is the Sambo doll that brother Clifton was selling illegally on the street. It is not the doll itself, but instead the circumstances surrounding Clifton’s death that make the doll significant. Before his death, the narrator meets brot her Clifton, and describes him as the ideal man. He is educated, well dressed, muscular, and has a stylish swag about him, that the narrator admires. But we don’t know Clifton long before he is shot. Clifton suddenly drops from his originalShow MoreRelated Invisible Man Essay: Self-Identity in Invisible Man1040 Words   |  5 PagesSelf-Identity in Invisible Man      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the novel, Invisible Man, the main character carries around a briefcase throughout the entire story. All of the possessions that he carries in that briefcase are mementos from learning experiences. Throughout the novel, the Invisible Man is searching for his identity and later discovers that his identity is in those items. As the narrator is leaving Marys house for the Brotherhood, he sees a Negro-doll bank in his room. He is angry that the dollRead MoreSummary Of Invisible Man1450 Words   |  6 PagesRalph Ellison was a 20th century African-American writer and scholar, who also studied music before moving to New York City, where he worked as a writer. 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The Author, Ralph Ellison, uses symbolism such as blindness and the concept of initiation to compare the world to a real life battlefield. Ellison intended to emphasize, both passive and aggressive elements of battle is necessary to achieve the American Dream. There is much symbolism used in the story. The protagonist’s grandfather is a symbol in himself. As an elder, his grandfather symbolizes wisdom and knowledge. His dying