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The Invisible Man
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7 comments:
Prologue
The prologue begins with an anonymous narrator describing himself as invisible. He explains that this invisibility is not because he is a ghost or has some kind of biological defect, but because people choose not to notice him. He explains that this is sometimes very good, and sometimes it makes him lonely. The narrator recalls an incident where he accidentally bumped into a tall man, who then called him an insulting name. The narrator got very upset, hit the tall man, and pulled out his knife, ready to kill him. Just when he was about to kill him, he stopped and realized that the tall blond man only insulted him because he could not see him. He left and, reading the incident in the paper the next day described as a mugging, and laughed at the thought of being mugged by an invisible man.
We then continue to hear about the narrator's battle with Monopolated Light&Power, which he has stolen electricity from for some time now. He secretly lives in the basement of a building for only white people and steals electricity to power his 1,369 light bulbs. On page 6, the narrator elaborates "I doubt if there is a brighter spot in all New York than this hole of mine, and I do not exclude Broadway. Or the Empire State Building on a photographer's dream night... Those two spots are among the darkest of our whole civilization...". Clearly, he believes that he is more enlightened than the rest of our racist society. He says that he is hibernating to prepare for a more overt action. He ends by asking who was responsible for the attack on the tall blond man - the tall man insulted him, but if the police came he would be held accountable.
The prologue does a very good job of setting up the stage for the book. It introduces many of the themes and ideas that make up the book, including (obviously) the invisibility, blindness, and racism. It is also interesting how the prologue contrasts the first chapter, in the narrator's way of thinking. We know that the prologue is written some time after the first chapter took place, so it immediately shows us how much of a dramatic change we will see occur in this novel.
-Comment by Dylan
After reading this synopsis of the prologue, the Invisible man sounds like it would be an interesting and enjoyable novel. Dylan did a good job of outlining the prologue without giving much away. The prologue appears to be favoring the invisible man, and giving him sympathy. The firsts chapter contrasts the prologue therefore it must be from a different person point of view, or the since it was written before the prologue some event must have occurred that made to author change his mind. I am curious to find out what that was.
---Kristen
Dylan, I like how you described the prologue and the plight of the Author, although I've never read this book I am guessing that the reason this man is invisible is probably do to his race. I also like how you chose to integrate quotes into your explanation of the prologue. By choosing only one or two good quotes I feel as though i already have a general idea of what the novel is about even though I've only read a few paragraphs about it. I would have to agree with Kristen that the novel does show empathy toward the invisible and that he is obviously the protagonist of this work. Nice job Dylan
-Erik Adler
Although I am not reading the novel I was intrigued by the story of the Invisible man. I think that reader's can easily identify with the invisible man because at some point, everyone has felt invisible. I think that Dylan also did a good job of describing the prologue. His descriptions also helped me to picture what the story is about and relate to the charcter.
The Invisible Man sounds like a very interesting book. From reading what Dylan wrote, it seems like it raises a lot of important issues. I want to know why the first chapter contrasts the prologue and if many of the other chapters contrast each other as well. It seems like this is an interesting book.
sorry! i forgot to write my name on my comment.
-christine
Chapter 3
Mr. Norton was so shaken up from Mr. Trueblood’s story that he goes into shock shortly after asking for whiskey. The narrator stops at the closest bar, the Golden Day, which serves black people. He encounters a group of mentally disturbed black war veterans who are being allowed an afternoon outside their home on the way there. The narrator intends to dash in and out of the tavern, but the manager refuses to sell take-out whiskey. Mr. Norton has fallen unconscious and some of the veterans help carry him inside. As they soon as they pour some whiskey down his throat, he begins to regain consciousness. The brutish attendant in charge of the veterans now appears and a fight breaks out. Mr. Norton falls unconscious again, and the narrator and one of the veterans carry him upstairs to where the prostitutes stay.
This veteran claims to be a doctor and a graduate of the college. After Mr. Norton wakes up, the veteran mocks Mr. Norton’s interest in the narrator and the college. He says that Mr. Norton views the narrator as a mark on his scorecard of achievement rather than as a man and that the narrator thinks of Mr. Norton not as a man but as a god. He calls the narrator an automaton stricken with a blindness that makes him do Norton’s bidding and claims that this blindness is the narrator’s chief asset. Mr. Norton becomes angry and demands that the narrator take him back to the college. During the ride back, Mr. Norton remains completely silent.
I liked this chapter because it was crazy and showed the racism so prominent in this novel. Mr. Norton was the only white man in the bar and as a result he was treated with respect at first but as soon as the veterans realized that they outnumbered him, all hell broke lose. Yet even as he went to leave, the veterans parted to allow him to pass through, showing their “respect” towards him. The doctor veteran made a good point though; the narrator is a robot programmed to do what the whit man asks, a trait he inherited from his dying grandfather.
~michele
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