Wow, it's really been a while since I posted! We're already about halfway through Invisible Man, although I think it's this point in particular that proves very interesting. We basically see the old narrator get wiped away and be replaced by a more refreshed, free, and invisible man we met in the prologue.
One thing that struck me, though, was the symbolism of the operating room and how it represented his rebirth. Not only does he have no recollection of any past events in his life, but he is also incapable of forming words, the typical characteristics of a newborn baby. Throughout the scene, we can hear background noises that seem eerily like that of a woman in labor. When "the nurse clipped through the belly band and removed the heavy node," one could say this symbolized the cutting of his umbilical cord.
When the narrator leaves the factory hospital, he feels like a new man. His white factory clothes symbolize his newness into the world, and he begins to feel more, if not completely, free. The narrator soon winds up at a kind old woman's house. This woman, Mary, takes him in and tells him to come back if he wishes, saying the rent is low. Over the next few months, Mary acts as a mother figure towards the narrator, figuratively raising the narrator as her own and preparing him for the real world.
As far as being a new man goes, we see the narrator embracing his race much more than he did in the past. While he was working for the college, he avoided and was even embarrassed of his southern upbringing, avoiding stereotypes at all costs. That one time he stopped by a diner before going to work at the paint factory, he took great offense over being offered pork chops and grits, something he considers southern and therefore primitive. After his "rebirth," though, we see him harnessing his culture much more, reverting back to eating yams from street corners and getting more involved in saying what's on his mind regarding racial barriers. This leads him to meet new people, and he soon joins the Brotherhood.
However, the concept of the Brotherhood in relation to the narrator's life throws me off a little. While the narrator sees himself as free, invisible, even, the Brotherhood gives him a sort of belonging that I'm not sure he enjoys. So I guess the question is, even though he has joined to stand up for what he believes in, is this group mentality a good thing for him?
However, the concept of the Brotherhood in relation to the narrator's life throws me off a little. While the narrator sees himself as free, invisible, even, the Brotherhood gives him a sort of belonging that I'm not sure he enjoys. So I guess the question is, even though he has joined to stand up for what he believes in, is this group mentality a good thing for him?
I agree with a lot of what you say, especially when comparing his rebirth to an actual birth. As for your question at the end, if Mary wasn't struggling I don't think the narrator would have taken the job with the Brotherhood. I guess it kind of relates back to Mary being a mother figure that caused him to accept Jack's offer, which supports the idea of his rebirth. Perhaps this group will help him find out who he is as an individual, and move him towards the invisibility we see in the prologue.
ReplyDeleteWow! I didn't realize the factory's hospital was so much like a birth! That's a really good point! About the Brotherhood thing, I don't know if he really *dislikes* being a Brother. It seems like he's curious in the group, and I think it would be good for him to find an identity with some entity but I have a feeling the Brotherhood membership will be short-lived...
ReplyDeleteMy question, what exactly is the Brotherhood? Is it some sort of Communist organization? Or is it some surreal group with no real-life counterpart?
I agree about the whole rebirth symbolism, but I didn’t notice just how symbolic it actually was (I like the idea of the background noises seeming like that of a woman in labor, or the umbilical cord symbolism). I think it’s interesting how different the narrator is after the “rebirth” – I especially noticed this with his speech at the eviction. I can’t even imagine him giving a speech like that before the rebirth chapter!
ReplyDeleteI really need to make a point of perusing the blogs before class. Today in class I was sketching out my own observations about how the Factory Hospital experience has all this birth/rebirth imagery, and I was unaware that Pauline had already covered it comprehensively in this post. (Had I been aware, I surely would have mentioned the blog and directed the class to it.)
ReplyDeleteI feel as though this group mentality is a bad thing. In the past chapters, others have been pushing him to do things, a bit like peer pressure, and peers are definitely a large part of a group mentality. I feel as though over time the Narrator will explode out from the pressure being put on by the group, and feeling as though he is being kept running. One big reason for believing this is that, in the prologue I got the vibe that the narrator was completely off the map. No one, whether in the Brotherhood or not knew where or who he was, so there must have been some disconnect from the Brotherhood, and I feel as if this will be it.
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