This week in
class, we touched briefly on the similarities and differences between Wright’s Native Son and Ellison’s Invisible Man. In our class discussion,
we compared Bigger Thomas to the Invisible Man and ended up finding several
differences between them, some of which included their character, education,
relationships with others, and even their way of living. As we talked about
these two novels, I began to think beyond the characters and to how the story
is told and what the narrator says about the characters in the story. Aside
from the two stories being very distinct (so far) in plot, I began to see the similarities
and differences between the two writers, specifically what they allowed their
characters to do.
Many of our
class discussions about Native Son
included the idea that Wright wrote in a naturalistic manner, giving his story
an underlying theme of inevitability. It seemed like every time Bigger Thomas
had a opportunity to break free from the stereotype society placed on him, he
made a mistake, decision, or action that caused him to fall back right where he
started. He had a chance at a new life with his job as a chauffeur for the
Daltons, but then ended up accidentally killing Mary and ruining any chance he
had of this opportunity. He had a chance to commit the crime, destroy the
evidence, and wait it out, hoping no one would notice, but he decided to
somehow profit from the situation and create a fake ransom note signed by the
“Reds.” He even might have had a chance to flee to another city with Bessie,
but ended up going through with his plan, and killing Bessie as well. Now,
although all of the scenarios I have just mentioned were actions Bigger did
himself, we covered the idea that maybe it was Wright not letting Bigger get
anywhere, stopping him in his tracks every time he got somewhere. I agree with
this idea in that I think Wright limited Bigger’s actions and shaped the story
how he wanted it to go. But I also want to draw a comparison to Ellison and how
he writes Invisible Man.
In contrast to
the almost inescapable story of Bigger Thomas, The invisible man has somewhat
of a spontaneous nature about him. The way Ellison writes about the narrator
and his story is quite different from the control Wright held over Bigger as he
wrote his novel. You never know what is going to happen next on the story, each
chapter being distinct from the previous one. However, this is not to say there
is no control that Ellison holds over the Invisible man. Already just a few chapters
into the book, the narrator has attempted to take Mr. Norton on a brief car
ride and then back to school, but every time it seems like he’ll be able to go
home, they encounter something new, a person, or problem that delays them
further and further. This effect is similar to the way Wright never lets Bigger
get anywhere in life. And despite the erratic series of events that occurs in Invisible Man, the theme of
inevitability is still present, just like in Native Son.
I agree that the Narrator in Invisible Man has a somewhat spontaneous nature, but I think Bigger too has a spontaneous side to him. While Bigger does eventually come up with a plan, neither his murder of Mary and disposal of her body nor his actions immediately following were premeditated. It is also true that there are times in Invisible Man where, like Bigger, the narrator has little or no control of what's happening in his life. One example of this is in the first chapter, where through all of the crazy turns of events, the narrator passively accepts and goes along with everything that happens.
ReplyDeleteYou noted that whenever Bigger Thomas had the opportunity to escape racial stereotypes on him he made a mistake and fulfilled those stereotypes. In one sense I agree, but at the same time I disagree. By acting out in the way that he did, Bigger was not fulfilling the racial stereotypes, in fact he was pushing racial boundaries. But because White people in the community saw only what they wanted to see, they used Bigger's action to enforce their negative stereotype of Blacks. But if they were able to see the reasoning behind Bigger's actions, they would see that he was far from the stereotypes they placed on him.
ReplyDeleteI somewhat agree with Ha Il. I think Bigger is using the racial stereotypes to his advantage when he plays into the dumb black person stereotype after he kills Mary. He reminds me of the grandfather and Bledsoe in Invisible Man; he is doing what he thinks the white man wants, while quietly rebelling on the inside. I think it is a combination of defying the black people are dumb stereotype but also playing into it, but by playing into it, it proves that he is intelligent to know that it is a game.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting. The parallels between both novels are glaringly obvious, but i hadn't noticed this relatively "free" nature of the IM. I really enjoy the varying perspectives seen throughout the book, differing from chapter to chapter. In terms of Bigger's actions and Wright's expression of the societal confinement he has to cope with, I think both your and Ha-il/Chloe's points are valid. It's certain that each time Bigger strives to push the boundaries that have been set before him, he is held back, typically screwing something up in the process. This effectively demonstrates his efforts to act outside of the cage he's in, as well as his awareness of his enclosure, while also showing how inescapable his situation truly is.
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