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Giulia Basile
Mrs. Izzo
24 April 2009
AP English Study Guide
Books/Plays:
Othello
Crime and Punishment
The Importance of Being Earnest
Invisible Man
Book 1: Othello, by William Shakespeare
Characters:
Othello:
Othello is the main character in the play; he is a successful Moor who nevertheless feels insecure
about his race and age, and is easily prone to jealousy. He is a military general of Venice who
has had a difficult childhood and fought courageously in battles for years. Othello is respected
and even revered by everyone who has served with him because of his strength, bravery,
leadership, and his calm, good-tempered character. He is married to the young, beautiful
Desdemona. Underneath his seemingly flawless façade, however, he shows signs that he
doubts he could be with such a girl. The book also reveals that he is far too trusting. When he is
made insecure, he can quickly become crazed, impulsive and frantically violent, and kills
Desdemona.
Desdemona:
Desdemona is a young, beautiful, white girl whose father is Brabantio, a senator from Venice.
After Othello’s tales of hardship, Desdemona secretly marries Othello without her father’s
approval. Desdemona is somewhat sheltered, innocent, and naïve; she actually thinks that no
wife would ever cheat on a husband. She is utterly devoted to Othello. Desdemona has another
side to her, though – she also wants to show off her power and her ability to fix situations, but
she ends up entangling herself in a bigger problem.
Iago:
Iago is the villain in the play who brilliantly plants ideas in people’s minds to make them react in
the way Iago wants. He is Othello’s flag bearer and he is married to Emilia. Initially it seems
that Iago tries to destroy Cassio’s reputation and Othello and Desdemona’s love in order to get
the lieutenant position, but eventually the audience sees that Iago has spite/disgust for the
humankind, he sees himself above everyone, and he actually enjoys causing other people to
suffer. He is not open with anyone and has no attachment to anyone, but he inserts himself into
the middle of every relationship and becomes the go-to man. He slyly pretends that he is a friend
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working towards each of his peer’s best interest. By the end, Iago is controlling almost every
character in the play.
Roderigo:
Roderigo is a stupid, rich character who entrusts much of his money to Iago in turn for some
advice and help. Roderigo is convinced that he loves Desdemona and he wants to take her from
Othello. Roderigo is extremely gullible and even at moments when he becomes frustrated and
impatient with Iago, Iago swiftly convinces him to be patient and to do whatever Iago says.
Roderigo bothers Cassio and tries to kill Othello. Then Iago kills Roderigo. Roderigo is easily
manipulated, dependant on Iago, and he cannot think for himself. He shows Iago’s power and is
an exaggeration of Othello’s and other characters’ foolishness and trust.
Minor Characters:
Emilia: Iago’s wife, thick-skinned, sees reality, figures out her husband’s scam and reveals it,
killed by Iago
Cassio: Othello’s lieutenant, polite and friendly, adores Othello, framed by Iago of sleeping with
Desdemona
Brabantio: Desdemona’s father, Venetian senator, first one to set idea in Othello’s head that if
Desdemona lied to her father, she would lie to her husband
Bianca: The prostitute who is in love with Cassio, Roderigo tries to murder Othello at her house
Settings:
1. Venice, Italy. Venice in the 15th and 16th century when the book probably took place was
a bustling city with lots of sea-trade and commerce. It is interesting that Shakespeare
chose Venice for both of his plays about racial prejudice: this and The Merchant of
Venice. Venice is depicted with buildings and at night; Iago and Roderigo tell Brabantio
that his daughter has left. Venice is a place full of dignified members of the Senate and
of “civil society.”
2. Cyprus. Cyprus is a remote, hot, tropical island in the Mediterranean forty miles from
Turkey. It is described as surrounded by sharp rocks that did not catch Desdemona’s boat
because she was just too beautiful. It is a very fertile place with good harvests and nice
weather. It is much wilder than Venice. Extravagant parties are thrown with food and
alcohol for Othello and Desdemona’s wedding. What would never pass in Venice works
in Cyprus; when Othello hits Desdemona the nobleman Lodovico says “My Lord, this
would not be believed in Venice, though I swear I saw it.”
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Plot Overview:
1. In the streets of Venice, Roderigo tells Iago that Desdemona has married Othello. Iago
and Roderigo alert Brabantio that his daughter is missing, and they go with a police party
to Othello’s lodgings.
2. Brabantio accuses Othello of bewitching his daughter to fall for him, but Othello
eloquently convinces the Senate that this is not the case. A letter from the duke is
delivered to Othello saying the Turks have attacked Cyprus and he is to report there
immediately. Desdemona comes.
3. In Cyprus the Turkish fleet has been shipwrecked by a storm and Cassio, Desdemona,
Othello, Iago, Roderigo and Emilia arrive safely. Roderigo thinks he will never get
Desdemona. Iago plans to use Cassio’s politeness to mess up Othello and Desdemona’s
relationship.
4. There is a party to celebrate Cyprus’s safety, and Iago gets Cassio drunk, has Roderigo
provoke him and fight him; in the process Cassio stabs Governor Montano. Othello is
very upset and revokes Cassio’s lieutenant position.
5. Cassio is upset that his reputation is ruined. Desdemona says she’ll do anything she can
to help. When Othello comes Cassio leaves and Iago makes a comment remarking on his
seemingly guilty departure.
6. Iago tells Othello that he’s pretty sure Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio.
Desdemona keeps trying to talk to Othello about rehiring Cassio. Othello begins to get
agitated.
7. At supper, Othello isn’t feeling well so Desdemona offers him her handkerchief, but he
says it is too small and knocks it to the ground. Emilia finds it there and takes it for Iago.
8. Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassio’s room and tells Othello he has seen Cassio with
it, and that when Iago slept with Cassio one night, Cassio talked in his sleep about
Desdemona. Othello is upset and when he asks Desdemona for the handkerchief and she
reveals that she does not presently have it, he becomes furious.
9. Iago further upsets Othello by having a conversation with Cassio about Bianca so that
Othello thinks they are talking about Desdemona.
10. When Othello is ordered home to Venice, leaving Cassio to take his place, he goes over
the edge and slaps Desdemona.
11. Othello repeatedly and assuredly calls Desdemona a whore, but then tells her to be alone
in their bed that night. Iago tells Roderigo that Roderigo must kill Cassio to get
Desdemona.
12. Roderigo attempts to kill Cassio at Bianca’s house but Cassio wounds him. Then Iago
wounds Cassio and Othello leaves thinking that Cassio is dead. Iago blames Roderigo
for Cassio’s injury and kills Roderigo.
13. Othello goes to kill Desdemona as she sleeps but she wakes up and tries to convince him
of her innocence. He still smothers her to death.
14. Othello finds out that Cassio is alive. Desdemona screams out that she has been
murdered, and then that she has committed suicide. Othello admits his crime.
15. Emilia is first to realize Othello’s role, and reveals him. Iago kills Emilia. Othello is
heartbroken, talks about how he wants to be remembered, and kills himself. Iago is
sentenced to be executed.
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Motifs
1.) Animals
Throughout Othello, Iago uses many metaphors comparing Desdemona and Othello to animals.
He tells Brabantio that the “black ram” has mounted the white sheep. He calls Othello a Barbary
horse as well. At one point, Iago also talks about how he would not drown himself “for the love
of a guinea hen” or a baboon. His constant reference to love as nothing more than animal sex
makes it seem that there is no emotion or delicacy in love, instead there is only the most basic
animal behavior. It also makes Othello sound less human just because he is a Moor.
2.) Black and White
There are many references to black and white, both to refer to the skin color or Othello and
Desdemona, and to refer to good versus bad. A minor character in the play remarks that Othello
is more white than black as a way to say that he is more dignified than his skin color would
suggest. Also, when Iago talks about different types of women, he uses the word ‘fair’ to
describe the best women.
Symbols:
1) Handkerchief
The handkerchief stands for Desdemona’s devotion, purity, and even virginity (with
red strawberries on a white background). It is thin and delicate, a menial trinket.
However, it is treated as if it is crucially important, symbolizing how a small change
mixed with jealousy can seem to grow exponentially more problematic. When
Desdemona loses it, it symbolizes to Othello that Desdemona’s chastity and love for
him is gone; she has given all of her love to Cassio who holds the handkerchief. An
internet source also says that the handkerchief is a “visual reminder of blindness
caused by passion.” Othello becomes so wrapped up in the one who possesses the
handkerchief that he cannot separate it from the real question: whether or not
Desdemona is true to him.
2.) The Willow Song
Desdemona sings this song towards the end of the book, and as she dies. The song is
about the sadness of a woman in love with a crazy man, and reflects Desdemona’s
own situation. Apparently willows near water are a common symbol for women
deserted by their husband (there is a similar setting in Hamlet).
3.) Candle
Othello blows out a candle right before he murders Desdemona. He says to her “once
put out they light/thy cunning’st pattern of excelling nature/ I know not where is that
Promethean heat/ that thy light relume.” The candle is his decision to kill her; he can
see that he will always be able to relight a candle, but once he kills his wife there is
no way he can get her back.
4.) Cyprus
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The island of Cyprus symbolizes the isolation and wildness of the situations that
happen. Cyprus is away from real civilization, much more tropical, and much more
exotic.
Themes:
1) Speaking candidly and openly to people is the only real way to evaluate and fix a problem.
2) A person is never fully free if he is always worried about his reputation
3) Even the strongest, most confident people have insecurities, that, when prodded, can breed
and bring ruin.
2.) Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Character List:
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov: (Nickname: Rodia)
Rodia is the protagonist in the book. He is a young, very good looking man out of school
without a job, and living in a gross apartment that is falling apart. Most of the novel deals with
his internal struggles, and his physical manifestation of his guilt. At first he cannot decide
whether to kill a mean pawnbroker, and once he does, he cannot stand himself. At times he
thinks he will be able to get away with the crime, but he becomes more and more sick, mean to
his family, and less and less well-behaved socially. He goes back and forth about whether he
should reveal himself, and at the end he gives himself in, and eventually is able to live again.
Sofya Semvonovna Marmeladov: (Nickname: Sonia)
Sonia is a young woman, the daughter of the drunken Marmeladov. She comes from a very poor
family which is falling apart, and becomes a prostitute in order to support her family. Over time
she develops a powerful yet painful love relationship with Raskolnikov, who reveals his crime to
her. She is devoted to Rodia, and she is very quiet, shy, and full of tears. She becomes more and
more stable throughout the book as she reveals her strong religious faith which she passes on to
Rodia. She plays a significant role in getting Rodia to confess, and she stays strong and somber
all of the years Rodia is in jail.
Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikov (Nickname: Dunia)
Dunia is Raskolnikov’s sister. She is beautiful, very smart, confident, proud, and courageous.
When Luzhin insults her family she is a strong enough person to break off their engagement.
When Svidrigailov finds her after he most likely killed his wife to come after her, she bravely
fends him off by shooting his gun.
Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov
Svidrigailov is a crazed, rich man who Dunia used to work for. It is said he most likely killed
his wife Marfa Petrovna because he wanted to be with Dunia. He tracks Dunia down, and is
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convinced throughout the book that Dunia loves him. He tries to give lots of his money away to
make people like him more. He is a frightening and controlling character who threatens both
Dunia and Raskolnikov. At the end of the book he shoots himself.
Minor Characters:
Dmitri Prokofych Razumikhin:
Raskolnikov’s nice friend. He is very kind, loyal, stable, and a determined hard-worker. As
Raskolnikov becomes more and more ill, Razumkhin protects Pulcheria Alexandrovna (Rodia’s
mom) and Dunia from Luzhin and Svidrigailov. Razumkhin ends up falling in love with Dunia
and they get married.
Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov:
Katerina is Marmeladov’s wife. She leads a stressful life with her husband who is always out
drinking and many kids. She tells everyone that she comes from aristocracy but she is always,
deep down, harried, sad, and feels she made the wrong decision marrying her husband. She is
very sick, with a hacking, bloody cough, and at the end she goes crazy.
Porfiry Petrovich – The police officer that investigates the murder of the pawnbroker and knows
a lot about the psychology behind a criminal.
Semyon Marmeladov – drunk man who gets run over by a carriage; Rodia helps his family
Pulcheria Raskolnikov – Rodia’s mom. Positive that her son is a great person.
Luzhin – Dunia’s fiancée who just wants to marry her because she is pretty and poor.
Plot Summary:
1. Raskolnikov contemplates committed a particular crime that he does not reveal. After a
trip to the pawnbroker, he meets Marmeladov who introduces Rodia to his family. Then
Rodia gets a letter from his mother saying Dunia is engaged to Luzhin.
2. Raskolnikov overhears people talking about how e veryone would be better off if Alyona
were dead. He thinks it is a sign. He has a dream that night about walking in his old
town and watching people whip and kill a mare. The next day he sharpens an axe, goes
to the pawnbroker’s house, and kills her and her sister Lizaveta.
3. The next day, Rodia frantically checks all of his clothing for blood. The police contact
him, but it is just about paying his landlady. However, he still makes himself a suspect
when he faints upon hearing about the murders. He hides the stuff he stole under a rock.
The next few days he is delirious and Razumkhin, Nastasia, Zossimov (the doctor) and
Zamyotov, a detective all visit him.
4. Rodia sees Marmelodov after the drunk has been hit by a carriage. Rodia brings him
back to the man’s house where Marmelodov dies unforgiven by his wife. Rodia meets
Sonia and leaves the family with most of the money his mother sent him. Then Rodia
finds Pulcheria and Dunia at his apartment and faints.
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5. Raskolnikov goes back and forth between irritation and apologies with his family. He
tells his sister not to marry Luzhin. Dunia says she is meeting with him today, and even
though he has requested Rodia’s absence, she invites her brother. Razumikhin starts to
fall in love with Dunia. Sonia invites Raskolnikov to Marmelodov’s funeral, and is
followed home secretly by Svidrigalov.
6. Raskolnikov goes to Porfiry’s house to try and get his watch back. Rodia thinks Porfiry
suspects him. Meanwhile someone visits Rodia’s house and when Rodia runs to catch up
with him the man yells, “Murderer!”
7. The next day Raskolnikov wakes up from a nightmare in which the pawnbroker is still
alive and laughing to find a stranger, Svidrigailov, in his room. Svidrigailov offers Dunia
lots of money to break off her engagement.
8. At the dinner with Luzhin they talk about Svidrigailov’s offer and Luzhin offends the
family. Dunia immediately breaks off the engagement. They talk about starting a family
business but Rodia storms out saying he does not want to see them anymore.
Razhumikhin realizes that Raskolnikov is the murderer.
9. Raskolnikov goes to Sonia’s house, finds out she was friends with Lizaveta, an then
listens to her read the Bible story of Lazarus while Svidrigailov eavesdrops one door
over.
10. In another conversation with Porfiry, Raskolnikov is about to crack when Nikolai, a
workman, admits to the crime.
11. Lushin is in his apartment with his roommate Lebezyatnikov. Sonia comes in and Luzhin
gives her a ten-ruble bill. At Katerina’s memorial dinner, only drunks and Raskolnikov
come. Then Luzhin enters and accuses Sonia of stealing a 100-ruble bill which he
proceeds to pull from her pocket. Then Lebezyatnikov comes and exclaims that Luzhin
planted the money.
12. Raskolnikov tells Sonia that he is the murderer. Sonia tries to get him to confess.
Katerina has gone mad, parades in the streets singing, and eventually falls down dead.
Svidrigailov offers to pay for her funeral and tells Raskolnikov he knows the secret.
Porfiry apologizes, though he still believes Raskolnikov did it. He encourages him to
confess.
13. Svidrigalov tells Raskolniov he is engaged to a sixteen year-old girl Svidrigailov goes to
Dunia’s room, demans that she marry him, and then threatens to rape her when she
refuses. Dunia shoots at him. He exits, leaves lots of money to her, sleeps in a hotel
where he dreams of a flood, and then he shoots himself.
14. Sonia gives Raskolnikov a cross to wear. Raskolnikov kisses the ground and confesses to
a policeman named Ilia Petrovich.
15. Raskolnikov begins his service of eight years of prison in Siberia. Sonia visits him.
Pulcheria dies. Razumkhin and Dunia marry and eventually Raskolnikov comes around,
expresses remorse for his crime, and, as he sits on an open hill, knows he has something
to which to look forward.
Setting Description:
St. Petersburg, Russia
The setting is dirty and poor, and very crowded. Poverty and drunkenness is everywhere.
Few people are happy, and many people seem corrupt. Raskolnikov’s room is dingy with
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yellow wallpaper. Everything seems to induce claustrophobia: the pawnbroker’s room,
various hotel rooms, and the Marmeladov’s house. There is also very little privacy;
everyone just walks in to rooms. At moments Raskolnikov will mention the blue of the sky.
The Prison/Outside of the Prison, Siberia
The setting is still cold and crowded, but there is a moment at the end when Raskolnikov sits
outside on a hill near a river with Sonia. The sky is blue, and he can see the dots that are
people working in the valley below. Everything is much fresher and more open. This place
signifies that Raskolnikov is on the path to redemption and freedom again.
Symbols:
The Cross: The Cross that Sonia gives to Raskolnikov symbolizes redemption, especially in
the Christian faith. It symbolizes that, though one must suffer, afterwards one will be
redeemed.
Blood: Blood throughout the novel symbolizes guilt, and fear of being discovered. It is the
branded mark of crime. Long after the crime has been committed, Raskolnikov feels as if the
blood is still stained on him and people can see it.
Bells: Bells in the novel symbolize many things. They stand for faith, goodness, and
righteousness as they ring from the church, but they also stand for urgency and confusion, as
with the bell at the pawnbroker’s house.
Motifs:
Poverty: Throughout the play, there are countless examples of poverty. Everyone is
struggling to live a happy life, let alone eat and raise a family. All characters make decisions
based on money and sacrifice things in order to survive.
Yellow: Dostoevsky uses yellow to describe many of the settings and objects in the play.
Yellow is a constant reminder that Raskolnikov is tainted in some way. The town is tainted
with prostitution and alcoholism, and Raskolnikov is tainted after his murder.
Themes:
1.) The weight of guilt is the heaviest, most long-lasting punishment.
2.) Faith and religion can help lead a person to redemption.
3.) Poverty magnifies the effect of any problem, and makes an easy solution almost
impossible.
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3. The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde
Characters:
Jack/Ernest Worthing: The main character in the play. He is a rich young man whose best friend
is Algernon and whose lover is Gwendolen Fairfax. Jack has two lives – one in London, where
he is known as Ernest, and one in the country with Cecily Cardew, to whom he is gaurdian,
where he is called Jack. He feels a need to always have an option to escape to his other life
whenever necessary. Jack has no parents that he knows of; he was found in a handbag in the
cloakroom of a railway station. He has a sense of humor but is slightly more responsible and
serious than Algernon.
Algernon Moncrieff is Jack’s friend. He is a trouble-maker who loves excitement and fun and he
is capable of charming women, but he has almost no work ethic. He is also always hungry. He
always has a quip on hand, makes selfish comments and funny generalizations. He too has a
second life; he has created an ill character “Bunbury” who always gets sick. Lady Bracknell is
his aunt and Gwendolen is his cousin.
Gwendolen Fairfax: Algernon’s cousin and Lady Bracknell’s daughter. She is always welldressed and among the ‘highest’ in society who enjoys only the ‘best.’ She is smart, hardheaded, and opinionated. She acts as if she knows everything and should get everything she
wants. She is pretentious and somewhat artificial. She loves Ernest for his personality, but also,
she confesses, for his name.
Cecily Cardew is Jack’s ward. She is young – only eighteen years old, and lives in the country
all year long learning German from her teacher Miss Prism. She too has a sense of humor, but
also a very innocent, forgiving, kind side. She falls in love with Algernon long before she meets
him because she wants to be with a man with a wicked side, and she also likes his name, Ernest.
She, too, is a strong female character who gets what she wants.
Minor Characters:
Lady Bracknell – Algernon’s (and in the end, Jack’s) rich, snobbish, aristocratic aunt
Miss Prism – Cecily’s teacher and the woman who lost Jack in a handbag when he was a baby
Reverend Canon Chasuble – the rector at Jack’s country house who is to christen Jack and
Algernon, is in love with Miss Prism
Lane – Algernon’s servant who buys the cucumber sandwiches and works in Algernon’s house.
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Plot Outline:
1. At Algernon’s house, Algie questions Jack about the inscription in Jack’s cigarette case
from ‘Little Cecily.’ Jack explains that he is Jack in the country and Ernest in the city.
Algie talks about his fake friend and escape from the city, Bunbury.
2. Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen come to Algernon’s house, and, at a private moment,
Jack proposes to Gwendolen who accepts, saying she wouldn’t marry any man whose
name wasn’t Ernest. Lady Bracknell interviews Jack as a potential husband for her
daughter, but forbids the marriage when she learns that he was found in a handbag.
3. Jack goes to the country house and tells everyone that ‘Ernest’ has died in Paris.
Meanwhile, Algernon has already arrived at the country house as Ernest. Jack is furious.
4. Algernon meets Cecily, falls in love with her, and asks her to marry him. Cecily admits
that she considers them to be previously engaged as she has written in her diary. Cecily
admits she loves the name Ernest.
5. The police come to take ‘Ernest’ for not paying bills at restaurants, but Jack agrees to bail
him out.
6. Algernon goes to try to arrange his christening as Ernest. Gwendolen comes to visit Jack
and meets Cecily. The two like each other and have tea and pastries. Then both women
say they are engaged to Ernest Worthing, and suddenly they are polite enemies.
7. Jack and Algernon meet the women in the garden after both asking about christenings,
and the women reveal each man’s identity and make them admit that no one is really
named Ernest.
8. Inside, the women question the men as to why they would create characters; both men
reply that it was in order to meet and get close to the women they loved. The women
know the answer is somewhat fake, but accept their responses. Lady Bracknell arrives.
9. Lady Bracknell still will not let Gwendolen and Jack be engaged, but she becomes
genuinely interested in the engagement of Algernon and Cecily when she hears that
Cecily has a huge inheritance.
10. Jack tells Lady Bracknell that as Cecily’s legal guardian, he will not permit Algernon to
marry Cecily, and so Cecily cannot marry until she is thirty-five. He says the only way
he will permit the marriage is if Lady Bracknell gives permission for Jack and
Gwendolen to marry. Lady Bracknell still refuses.
11. Dr. Chasuble comes in looking for Miss Prism. When Lady Bracknell hears the name
she demands to see the woman. She angrily reprimands Miss Prism for having lost a
baby years ago, and Miss Prism says she accidentally put the baby in a handbag and left it
at the railway station. At this, Jack brings down the handbag he was born in and Miss
Prism says that the bag is hers.
12. Jack at first believes that Miss Prism is his mother, but he finds out soon after that he is
Lady Bracknell’s sister’s baby, and Algernon’s brother.
13. The group looks up Jack’s real name in an old military book and finds out that his name
is really Ernest, so he has been telling the truth all along.
14. The couples all embrace, and Dr. Chasuble proposes to Miss Prism.
15. Jack admits that only now has he learned “The Importance of Being Earnest.”
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Setting Descriptions:
London: Full of lavish, fancy apartments with grand pianos, butlers, cucumber sandwiches on
silver plates, and fancy rich people who can afford to dine nightly at the Savoy.
Hertfordshire:
Also very fancy, but with much more time spent outdoors. There are beautiful gardens, blue
skies, and throughout the play the weather is perfect with a shining sun. Cecily does her German
in the shade of a big tree, and the women have tea in the garden.

Both settings are perfect and almost carefree. The characters live in an atmosphere with
no real conflicts, so the conflicts that do arise are silly, and mostly pointless bickering.
Symbols:
Food: Throughout the play, everyone is always eating. Algie finishes all of the cucumber
sandwiches and the muffins, and Gwendolen and Cecily fight over how much sugar should go in
the tea, and whether or not cake or bread and butter is better. People argue over food like
children, symbolizing how in a life as easy as theirs, they resort to fighting about the most
pathetic topics. Also, an internet source says that food may be a symbol for other ‘indulgences’
like sex.
Writing Fiction Novels: Miss Prism and Cecily both write fiction novels and Lady Bracknell
disapproves because nonfiction is much less ‘vulgar.’ However, both Miss Prism and Cecily
enjoy themselves through the ideas they dream up. Fiction symbolizes how life is more fun with
a little creativity. Both Jack and Algernon have both created fictional lives for themselves for
entertainment. They both seem to live half-fantasy lives, and the way they live makes their dayto-day experiences more exciting.
Motifs:
The Pun “Ernest Vs. Earnest”
There are moments throughout the play where people assume that a man with the name ‘Ernest’
must be earnest. Both women declare that the name “inspires absolute confidence.” It is just a
name, but it is much more than a name to Cecily and Gwendolen.
Killing Off Characters:
In The Importance of Being Earnest many people die, and every time it is funny. When Jack
explains to Lady Bracknell that he lost both of his parents, she says that it is unfortunate to lose
one but irresponsible to lose two. Also, Jack tries to ‘kill off’ Ernest, and Algernon ‘kills off’
Bunbury. The graveness of dying is mixed with humor in this play to show the lightheartedness
of the characters. It shows off the dry humor of the play and exemplifies how little empathy
most characters have.
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Themes:
1. Not being earnest has very few serious consequences, and may end up being the cause of
an adventure.
2. Aristocratic society is ignorant of all real problems and only bickers about unimportant
selfish matters.
3. Ignorance makes problems a lot easier to overcome; do not question, just accept.
4. Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
Character List:
The Narrator: The protagonist of this book is a black young man with no name; he is in fact the
‘invisible man’ because no one actually knows who he is aside from typical stereotypes. At the
beginning of the book when he is at college it is clear that the narrator is smart and introspective,
but he is also somewhat naïve and sheltered from the cruelties in the life of a black man in the
1930s. As the book proceeds, the narrator sees more and more clearly what life actually is like.
He has to struggle and lots of terrible things happen to him consecutively, but he becomes an
aware adult by the end.
Brother Jack is a white man that is a leader for the Brotherhood, which is meant to defend the
rights of the socially oppressed. He has a glass eye and red hair (apparently this symbolizes his
blindness to the organization he is involved in and his communism). At first the narrator likes
Brother Jack because he seems like an intelligent, nice white man who truly cares for people in
need. However, Brother Jack is revealed as a racist who makes friendships only for his own
benefit when he needs them.
Tod Clifton is a tall, handsome black man who lives in Harlem and works for the Brotherhood.
All women, black and white, find him extremely attractive, both because of his looks and
because he is a good speaker and really cares about his cause. The narrator respects him a lot.
However, Clifton leaves the Brotherhood and the narrator sees him selling little black dolls on
the street that represent the stereotype of the monkey-like black slave. Everyone around him
laughs.
Ras the Exhorter is a black man that believes in helping the black oppressed, but using violence
and anger to overthrow whites. His ideas are much less realistic and incorporate more of a mob
mentality. He is an excellent public speaker who can excite crowds, but Ras and the
Brotherhood do not get along very well. He climbs up on ladders and yells to crowds and is
constantly trying to get the Brotherhood and the narrator angry enough to fight with them or
against them.
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Minor Characters:
Rinehart is a black character in the book that everyone talks about but is never seen. He is a
pimp some days and a preacher others. When the narrator wears sunglasses to a Ras riot, lots of
people mistake him for Rinehart.
Dr. Bledsoe – The president at the narrator’s college who wants so badly to maintain his
apparent status as a successful black man that he expels the narrator and sends him to New York.
Mr. Norton – the white trustee that the narrator takes around the college campus/area
Jim Trueblood – the poor black man that lives on the edge of the campus; he got his daughter
pregnant as he slept
Mary – the nice black woman who gives the narrator food and shelter when he gets to New
York.
Plot Outline:
1. The narrator explains where he is now. He says that he is invisible because other people
refuse to see him, so he has resorted to living underground in a room covered in light
bulbs; he has stolen the electricity from the Monopolated Light Power Company. In his
little cave he listens to the song “Black and Blue” and writes about his life.
2. The narrator is younger, in high school, and already an excellent public speaker. He is
asked to speak in front of white men. At the end they award him a briefcase with a
scholarship to a good all-black college inside. Then, however, the white men terrorize
the black men and force them to box each other blindfolded and dive onto an electricshocking rug to get gold coins, which turn out to be fake.
3. That night the narrator dreams that the paper inside his briefcase says “To Whom It May
Concern…Keep this Nigger Boy Running.”
4. At college, the narrator is given the task of driving the white trustee Mr. Norton around
campus. Upon Norton’s request, they visit an uglier part of campus and Mr. Norton feels
upset yet compassionate towards Jim Trueblood, a poor black man who got his daughter
pregnant. Mr. Norton then needs a drink, the narrator goes to the typically all-black pub
called the Golden Day where havoc breaks loose, Norton faints, and a supposed doctor
revives him but then yells at him for his naivety.
5. After hearing the blind Revered Homer A. Barbee speak passionately about the college’s
founder, the narrator is reprimanded by Dr. Bledsoe for showing Mr. Norton a bad area,
expelled from school and sent to New York City alone with only seven recommendations
from Mr. Bledsoe.
6. In Harlem the narrator mails off all of his letters but never gets a response. Finally he
goes to Mr. Emerson’s office where he sent a letter. Mr. Emerson’s son reads the letter
and quietly tells him that he has been betrayed but helps him find a minimum wage job
make “Optic White” paint at Liberty Paints.
7. He works deep in the basement of the building with Lucius Brockway tending to paint
pressure machines. Lucius attacks the narrator saying that he is joining the building’s
Basile 14
union, and white they fight one of the machines explodes, knocking the narrator
unconscious. In the building’s hospital they use him as an experiment for electric shock
because he temporarily loses his memory.
8. The narrator is taken by Mary who feeds and shelters him white he gets back on his feet.
One day the narrator gives a speech against eviction in front of crowds and a couple
being evicted from their house. The police chase him across the tops of buildings.
Brother Jack later approaches him about being a Brotherhood member, and eventually the
narrator agrees.
9. The narrator begins to become passionate about his job and quickly moves up in the
ranks of the Brotherhood. He meets many brothers, including Tod Clifton. One day,
though, he gets a note saying that he has to remember his place in the Brotherhood as a
black man, and then he is accused of trying to advance his own selfish goals. Just
because of the accusation, he is demoted to working for women’s rights. During this
time he is seduced by a white lady.
10. Eventually he gets returned to Harlem. Tod Clifton is gone, but the narrator sees him one
day in the street selling denigrating black dolls without police permission. The police
shoot him dead.
11. The narrator organizes Clifton’s funeral and writes a powerful speech. The people
listening are moved but the Brotherhood gets mad at him for organizing it on his own.
When Brother Jack yells at the narrator his glass eye pops out.
12. Race problems increase in Harlem. The narrator is fed up with the Brotherhood and sees
its corruption. He decides to do things his own way – pretend to go along with people
but do what he wants. Ras comes after him so he puts on a hat and glasses and suddenly
everyone thinks that he is a man named Rinehart.
13. In an attempt to attain information about the Brotherhood, the narrator sleeps with Sybil,
the white wife of a Brotherhood member (who wants him to rape her…) She does not
know any information though. In the middle of the night the narrator is called to Harlem
where Ras has caused a riot.
14. At the scene the narrator is chased by Ras and policemen. As he runs he falls into a
manhole and the police cover up the hole.
15. The book is brought back to the opening scene; the narrator has stayed in the hole ever
since, and is just now ready to come out.
Symbols:
Briefcase: The narrator is given a briefcase at the start of the story from the group of white men.
The briefcase symbolizes the narrator’s, and most people’s, constant struggle for advancement.
It is a symbol of sophisticated, intellectual, successful life. The especially interesting part about
the briefcase in this book is that the narrator at one point dreams that he opens the case and the
paper inside says “Keep this Negro Boy Running.” This shows that the briefcase is a bit more
complex, and possibly symbolizes simply the appearance of the ‘high life,’ but owning one
means nothing at all.
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Sunglasses: When Ras is trying to track down the narrator, the narrator puts on a pair of
sunglasses and suddenly no one can recognize him. The sunglasses help symbolize the ease with
which a person can fall into invisibility.
Sambo Toys: The toys that Tod Clifton sells on the street symbolize the mockery and inherent
racism that still exists. The toys make black men out to be lazy and stupid and animal-like, and
white men laugh when they watch the toys. They also show the disrespect that white people had
for black people, and how black people felt there was no way they could change that attitude, so
some gave into the stereotype.
Optic White Paint: When the narrator goes to work at Liberty Paints, he has to help mix the
optic white paint. The name Liberty Paints symbolizes how a company/person/group can seem
to appear for freedom and good values, but they do not follow up. Also the optic paint stands for
how white people had control over black people. Optic White Paint was mixed with lots of dark
chemicals which blend away to only white.
Motifs:
White Women: Almost all of the white women in the book have powerful husbands and actually
want to be with a black man. I think that white women symbolize not only the changing times,
but also as a dangerous, supposedly off-limits route to power.
Blindness: Many characters in the book are blind. The Reverend that talks at the college is a
blind man; he symbolizes how being physically blind does not mean a person cannot see. On the
other hand, Brother Jack has a glass eye that pops out at one part of the novel; his half-blindness
shows that many people cannot ‘see’ clearly at all. Also, in the beginning the black men fight
each other blindfolded; this part shows the ignorance and pointlessness of violence.
Themes:
In trying times, even organizations with good intentions can be corrupted and made selfish as
they fight to stay on top.
It is a sad truth that being a wise adult means not trusting the world to treat you well. Not
everyone wants to make your life easier and there will be betrayers.
Ignorance and lack of interest leads to the invisibility of truth.