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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Prologue
Explanation and Analysis—Covert Protest:
One prominent motif in Invisible Man is the notion of covert protest. While some characters in the novel are quick to take bold and open action, others keep their actions hidden while nevertheless hoping to challenge the status quo. At the beginning of the novel, for example, the narrator claims that his “hibernation” in the basement of an all-white building is a form of protest:
And despite Brother Jack and all that sad, lost period of the Brotherhood, I believe in nothing if not in action [...] Meanwhile I enjoy my life with the compliments of Monopolated Light & Power. Since you never recognize me even when in closest contact with me, and since, no doubt, you’ll hardly believe that I exist, it won’t matter if you know that I tapped a power line leading into the building and ran it into my hole in the ground.
Though he has largely retreated from the outside world, he has nevertheless lined the walls of his makeshift apartment with light bulbs in order to siphon as much free power from the Monopolated Light & Power company as possible, and he plans to line the floor with lightbulbs next. When discussing his own upbringing in the first chapter, he notes that he has been influenced by his late grandfather’s tactical “meekness”:
Grandfather had been a quiet old man who never made any trouble, yet on his deathbed he had called himself a traitor and a spy, and he had spoken of his meekness as a dangerous activity. It became a constant puzzle which lay unanswered in the back of my mind. And whenever things went well for me I remembered my grandfather and felt guilty and uncomfortable. It was as though I was carrying out his advice in spite of myself.
On his deathbed, his grandfather claims to have been a “traitor” and “spy” his whole life, urging his family to undermine the power held by white Americans. Rather than encouraging them to fight directly, however, he instead urges them to feign “meekness” as a weapon. This dynamic between open conflict and covert action is explored at various points in the novel.
Related Themes:
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Covert Protest:
One prominent motif in Invisible Man is the notion of covert protest. While some characters in the novel are quick to take bold and open action, others keep their actions hidden while nevertheless hoping to challenge the status quo. At the beginning of the novel, for example, the narrator claims that his “hibernation” in the basement of an all-white building is a form of protest:
And despite Brother Jack and all that sad, lost period of the Brotherhood, I believe in nothing if not in action [...] Meanwhile I enjoy my life with the compliments of Monopolated Light & Power. Since you never recognize me even when in closest contact with me, and since, no doubt, you’ll hardly believe that I exist, it won’t matter if you know that I tapped a power line leading into the building and ran it into my hole in the ground.
Though he has largely retreated from the outside world, he has nevertheless lined the walls of his makeshift apartment with light bulbs in order to siphon as much free power from the Monopolated Light & Power company as possible, and he plans to line the floor with lightbulbs next. When discussing his own upbringing in the first chapter, he notes that he has been influenced by his late grandfather’s tactical “meekness”:
Grandfather had been a quiet old man who never made any trouble, yet on his deathbed he had called himself a traitor and a spy, and he had spoken of his meekness as a dangerous activity. It became a constant puzzle which lay unanswered in the back of my mind. And whenever things went well for me I remembered my grandfather and felt guilty and uncomfortable. It was as though I was carrying out his advice in spite of myself.
On his deathbed, his grandfather claims to have been a “traitor” and “spy” his whole life, urging his family to undermine the power held by white Americans. Rather than encouraging them to fight directly, however, he instead urges them to feign “meekness” as a weapon. This dynamic between open conflict and covert action is explored at various points in the novel.
Related Themes:
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Self-Preservation :
A prominent motif in Invisible Man is people's willingness to resort to extreme and cruel means in order to maintain their social position. Dr. Bledsoe, president of the unnamed Black college, for example, expresses to the narrator his willingness to sacrifice others in the name of self-preservation:
Well, that’s the way it is. It’s a nasty deal and I don’t always like it myself. But you listen to me: I didn’t make it, and I know that I can’t change it. But I’ve made my place in it and I’ll have every Negro in the country hanging on tree limbs by morning if it means staying where I am.
In this deeply cynical speech, Bledsoe acknowledges that he would unhesitatingly harm others, including other African Americans, in order to maintain his role at the college. Here, he alludes to lynching, or the extrajudicial killing of an individual or group of individuals (often Black) by a mob (often white). Other characters, such as the foreman at the Liberty Paints company, Lucius Brockway, prove similarly willing to sacrifice others, including fellow African Americans. Brockway tells the narrator that:
I have to watch them personnel fellows. One of them thinks he’s going to git me out of here, when he ought to know by now he’s wasting his time. Lucius Brockway not only intends to protect hisself, he knows how to do it! Everybody knows I been here ever since there’s been a here—even helped dig the first foundation. The Old Man hired me, nobody else; and, by God, it’ll take the Old Man to fire me!
Deeply distrustful of other workers at the factory, including the narrator, Brockway brags that he “not only intends to protect hisself,” but further “knows how to do it.” Ultimately, Brockway feels threatened by the well-educated narrator and deliberately places him in harm’s way in order to eliminate what he perceives as his competition.
Related Themes:
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Self-Preservation :
A prominent motif in Invisible Man is people's willingness to resort to extreme and cruel means in order to maintain their social position. Dr. Bledsoe, president of the unnamed Black college, for example, expresses to the narrator his willingness to sacrifice others in the name of self-preservation:
Well, that’s the way it is. It’s a nasty deal and I don’t always like it myself. But you listen to me: I didn’t make it, and I know that I can’t change it. But I’ve made my place in it and I’ll have every Negro in the country hanging on tree limbs by morning if it means staying where I am.
In this deeply cynical speech, Bledsoe acknowledges that he would unhesitatingly harm others, including other African Americans, in order to maintain his role at the college. Here, he alludes to lynching, or the extrajudicial killing of an individual or group of individuals (often Black) by a mob (often white). Other characters, such as the foreman at the Liberty Paints company, Lucius Brockway, prove similarly willing to sacrifice others, including fellow African Americans. Brockway tells the narrator that:
I have to watch them personnel fellows. One of them thinks he’s going to git me out of here, when he ought to know by now he’s wasting his time. Lucius Brockway not only intends to protect hisself, he knows how to do it! Everybody knows I been here ever since there’s been a here—even helped dig the first foundation. The Old Man hired me, nobody else; and, by God, it’ll take the Old Man to fire me!
Deeply distrustful of other workers at the factory, including the narrator, Brockway brags that he “not only intends to protect hisself,” but further “knows how to do it.” Ultimately, Brockway feels threatened by the well-educated narrator and deliberately places him in harm’s way in order to eliminate what he perceives as his competition.
Related Themes:
