Invisible Essay Research Paper Although most ethnic

Invisible Essay, Research Paper

Although most ethnic groups do not like to be thought of as different, they do come to enjoy the benefits that come with being labeled as a minority. Affirmative action is a program initiated to try and bridge the gap between white Americans and the minorities that reside in America. In addition, bilingual education is constantly an issue in Southern California, especially when choosing political candidates. In the two books I will be examining, Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez and Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, both characters in the stories are criticized by their own ethnic groups for not following the path that their parents have laid out for them. Protag, the main character in Invisible Man, chooses to join an organization called the Brotherhood, instead of a similar organization which is made up of all black men. Rodriguez decides to take a stand against affirmative action and bilingual education, two issues which Hispanics have almost always been in favor of. However, the decisions by these two characters to go against the values widely held by members of their ethnic groups causes a great deal of tension. People want to question how devoted the characters are to the cause. Both characters went against the norm and made choices which brought criticism from members of their ethnic groups, but their choices ultimately led to the strengthening of their groups culture in society. First we will look at what may have influenced the character s choices, followed by the designation of being labeled a scholarship boy may have played in their decisions. Finally we will look at what exactly they did for their ethnic group and some of the differences that exist between the two characters.

Upon his arrival in Harlem after his dismissal from college, Protag became aware of the two groups that were concerned with changing the social conditions in New York City. The first group was led by Ras the Exhorter and was a much more radical group. One woman was quotes as saying, “His hoodlums would attack and denounce the white meat of a roasted chicken” (Ellison 35). The other group in New York City was known as the Brotherhood and was a much less radical organization which was predominately by white men. These two groups often found themselves in the midst of controversy, both in the public eye and between each other. So what exactly was it that made Protag choose to become a very active member of the Brotherhood. In fact, as a result of his decision he faced continuous harassment from Ras and his people. Also, Protag became scared when walking alone at night, turning around to see if someone was following him. This is just one example of how strained race relations were in the borough of Harlem.

The first event in Protag s life that can be said to have influences his decision to join the Brotherhood was his experience while at college, most notably his interactions with Dr. Bledsoe. Take his job for example, Protag was appointed to drive around Mr. Norton, a white trustee to the college. Dr. Bledsoe continually emphasized the critical role that trustees play in the college. Without them and their donations, it seems the college would no longer exist. Dr. Bledsoe, who is a black man, also lets Protag know the importance of maintaining a good relationship with the white trustees. This is why Dr. Bledsoe reacts so violently to the incident involving Mr. Norton and the Golden Day. However, Protag also begins to realize that the relationship Dr. Bledsoe has with the trustees is not always based on trust. When reprimanding Protag for the Golden Day incident, Bledsoe says “the dumbest black bastard in the cotton patch knows that the only way to please a white man is to tell him a lie” (Ellison 139). The entire process of going to college and interacting with trustees and Bledsoe has shown Protag the black man is reliant on the white man to succeed. After all, Bledsoe has continuously stressed the importance of the trustees, of which presumably most were white. Instead of looking at white people as the enemy, for a black man to succeed he needed to maintain a business relationship with them.

When one reads Invisible Man, the Jim Trueblood incident is always called into question. Most people wonder why this character was even put in the book at all. Although Norton had the strongest reaction to the encounter with Trueblood, the person who gained the most is Protag. He saw a man who was the exact opposite of Bledsoe, isolated and living in poverty. Ellison gives us little insight as to what thoughts went through Protag s mind after the meeting with Trueblood. Much of this part of the novel focuses on the events at the Golden Day as well as Norton s reaction. What Protag saw in Trueblood was a prefect illustration of what could happen if things went wrong. Trueblood was actually paid to stay away from people, nobody wanted to come into contact with him. This scared Protag and made him listen even more closely to the words of Bledsoe. Protag thought that since they were the same color they should have some similarities, but they were actually polar opposites. It made him aware that maintaining a positive relationship with whites was crucial if you wanted to be successful.

Upon his arrival in Harlem, Protag was able to witness the day to day hardships that black people faced as they struggled to survive. More specifically, he was expo