These chapters have a lot to say about the concepts of invisibility, double-consciousness, identity, and how the three are inextricably interwoven in the novel. Again, close reading here will pay off and you'll be able to "see" the "invisible"! Obviously, anytime a glass eye, sunglasses, or vision in general is mentioned, Ellison is typically making a not-so-subtle thematic statement, but he doesn't always spell it out.
*What is the reason behind the narrator's conflict with the Brotherhood?
*What is the metaphorical value of Brother Jack's glass eye?
*How is humor used when the narrator puts on a pair of sunglasses to escape Ras's men?
*Why does Hambro disappoint the narrator?
*Explain the significance of the following quote: "If they tolerate Rinehart, then they will forget it and even with them you are invisible."
*How do you interpret the name Rinehart?
*How has the narrator become invisible?
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When the narrator puts on sunglasses and hat I found it pretty funny that the narrator wanted to be disguised but the total opposite came from it.Instead of getting rid of his identity the narrator gained a new one which everyone thought was a man named Rinehart.The narrator embraces this and starts to get in to the whole Rinehart attitude. I also found this funny because it seemed so unlike the narrator to have so much confidence all of a sudden when he has struggled so much throughout the novel.It's amazing what a disguise can do.
The narrator is completely transfixed by Brother Jack’s glass eye, and the eye has a great impact on him. I think that when the narrator sees the glass eye, he finally realizes that Brother Jack does not see him for who he really is; only for the identity the Brotherhood has given him. The eye represents Brother Jack’s sacrifice, but at the same time, the narrator considers this sacrifice for the Brotherhood a sign of blindness and conformity. The eye continues to haunt the narrator, as later in the story he imagines two eyes in a glass while listening to the sounds of the riot, in which people are blindly conforming to violence, sacrificing themselves and others.
The narrator becomes invisible in two ways. Firstly, by disguising himself with dark glasses and a hat. Although with this disguise he has taken on a new identity which in turn is recognizable to some people but not all. This new identity brought him a new name, Rinehart. Even though with this disguise he is known by Rinehart's acquaintances, he is "invisible" to Ras the Exhorter's support group. He uses this disguise to go close to Ras the Exhorter's meetings and listen in. The narrator realizes this new ability to be invisible and uses it to his advantage when either joking around with Brother Maceo or getting info on Ras the Exhorter's new ventures. And secondly, when he returns to the Brotherhood he will agree with everything they say; saying "Yes". This will give the Brotherhood the satification that the narrator is still part of it but is actually a scheme. The narrator knows that the Brotherhood will sacrifice his people. The narrator pretends to acknowledge their request while really he is not listening. He makes up his own supports and becomes invisible.
The narrator puts on the sunglasses just to be disguised as a normal person on the street to get away from Ras. but when he puts them on, the unexpected happens. He becomes Rinehart. I thought it was funny because there was not just one Rinehart there were many. The narrator put on the glasses expecting to become one man, but he became several. when the narrator is Rinehart his whole personality changes and he even gets more confidence in himself even though through out the novel he has many hard times.
The narrator is upset after speaking with Hambro because he thought that Hambro would think differently from the Brotherhood. Earlier that day the narrator found out how Brother Jack and the other higher members of the Brotherhood really work and that they are willing to sacrifice their current followers and him. Hambro taught the narrator about the Brotherhood and he thought he would feel the same way as he did, that the Brotherhood was going to fail if it continued with the lies and sacrifices, but Hambro dissapoints him when he tells the narrator that he agrees with the Brotherhood. After he leaves Hambro's house he feels alone, anger, and very dissapointed.
When Brother Jack reveals his lost eye to the narrator, he also inadvertently reveals something dark about himself. Brother Jack has “blindly” submitted himself to the brotherhood. While overcoming commitment to oneself for the good of the whole is sometimes a good thing, Brother Jack has taken it too far. By literally blinding himself, Brother Jack has metaphorically blinded himself to the problems of the average person. A main principle of the brotherhood is not discriminating against race or wealth, by turning his back on Harlem Brother Jack has discredited this principle.
The narrator found the blind-side of the brotherhood when Brother Jack reveals his glass eye. I thought it shows how the Brotherhood is half blind to their own group and their community. Brother Jack and Tobbitt think they know the black people of Harlem and how best to bring an end of the rascism, but they are blind to the black race. I think this is the start of when the narrator start to become invisible. The Brotherhood is just using him as a tool and not acknowledging him, and once he puts on the Rinehart disguise he is unrecognizable from his friends and foes.
The metaphorical value of Brother Jack’s glass eye is that if you wish to be a member of the Brotherhood then you must have blind obedience to the committee and its thoughts. Brother Jack physical blindness is mirrored into that of every member of the Brotherhood for the members are not hired to think but to do. The Brotherhood’s committee is who thinks for the rest of the organization. Whatever the committee says the members must carry out and hope that the committee made the right decision. When the narrator discovers the blindness in which he must share he realizes that if he wishes to stay within the Brotherhood he cannot remain a free individual.
Jack's glass eye represents the blindness of the Brotherhood. It's important that the narrator doesn't relize the glass eye until chapter 22 because it represents the Brotherhoods attempt to hide their blindness to their idealology.
The narrator, by putting on the sunglasses and hat, has become invisible by becoming someone else. This leads the narrator to the assuption that "he" really has no identity but many false identities that he lives under. The quote means that if someone's identity makes them out to be nothing special, that is how people see them and they will be "invisible" to most others. The name Rinehart makes me think of the Rineland in WWII, perhaps the man (Rinehart) is a man that is against racial equality much like Nazi beliefs of a superior race.
Brother Jack believes that his glass eye is a symbol of sacrifice for the Brotherhood. He lost his eye while he was serving in the line of duty, and he displayed discipline by continuing to carry out his orders. Ironically, while Brother Jack is lecturing the Invisible Man about true dicipline, his eye pops out. At first the Invisible Man thinks that the eye is a dramatic effect but he realizes that it is real and everyone else knew except him. Later on in the novel the Invisible Man sees that Brother Jack has lost his own discipline.
The narrator disguises himself from Ras theExhorter's men with a pair of dark sunglasses and a hat. This causes him to be mistaken for Rinehart, a man with no face or identity. Because so many people mistake the Invisible Man for Rinehart the narrator discovers that he is also invisible. The narrator comes to accept his new identity as Rinehart and realizes that he could use Rinehart not only as a disguise but as a political instrument. The narrator discovers that unlike in the South where everyone knows each other, people in the North can go for days without being recognized by anyone.
The narrator is dissapointed by Hambro because he thought that Hambro was smarter than the Brotherhood when in reality he has the same vague idealology as the Brotherhood. The narrator relizes that only he sees the corruption of the Brotherhood and decides to manipulate the Brotherhood using Emma.
The narrator becomes "invisible" by taking on the disguise of Rinehart. Though he can be seen physically, he becomes a completely different person. By becoming a someone else he is making his true self invisible.
The narrator has come invisible by taking on a new identity. People cannot see him for who he truely is now. He wears dark glasses and a hat so that he can hide behind the invisibility of being someone else.
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