Paper Motif for Invisible Man
Chapter 1
The College scholarship
given to IM for saying his
graduation speech at the
Battle Royale also so that
it will point him in the
right direction.
Chapter 1
“Keep this nigger running.” The significance of this
quote is that it is what IM was thinking after he got the
scholarship. He said that that is probably what it said
on the scholarship.
Chapter 2
The $100 bill Norton
gave to Trueblood for
telling the stereotypical
story about his incestuous
family.
Chapter 6
The seven letters to the
trustees were for IM to
find a job in New York so
he could pay his way in
the fall.
Chapter 7
IM’s bus ticket to New
York is significant because
he is getting away from
everything he knows to be
in a place that he knows
nothing about.
Chapter 8
IM wrote a letter to
Emerson and Norton.
The letter to Norton was
an apology and wanting
to work for him again.
The one from Emerson
did.
Chapter 9
The book that was open on the table that Emerson’s
son was reading is kind of ironic because Emerson’s
son and IM are both minorities and both have people
who judge them.
The blueprints that the jiver was carrying around is
significant because IM is trying to stick with the plan
but everything changed.
Chapter 9
He finally got to read
what the letters said and
now he is kind of
standing up for himself by
wanting to seek revenge
on Bledsoe.
Chapter 9
The blueprints are shown to the
Invisible Man by the street talker,
Peter Wheatstraw, he meets on
the street.
The blueprints symbolize the changes
that have happened in his life because
the bum talks about how everyone always
has changes and they toss the old and
bring in the new.
“Blue Prints”
The blueprints are shown to the Invisible Man by the street
bum he meets on the street.
The blueprints symbolize the changes that have happened
in his life because the bum talks about how everyone
always has changes and they toss the old and bring in the
new.
Chapter 11
The placards are
important because this is
the beginning of IM’s
new identity. He is more
independent, and
standing up for himself.
Chapter 13
In this chapter, IM gets
Jack’s phone number,
after he delivers a speech
for the couple getting
evicted. Brother Jack
wants IM to join.
Chapter 14
IM joins the Brotherhood
and gets a new
identity/name.
They give him $300 for
rent and explain how
much he gets each week.
Chapter 15
For the first time he
doesn’t feel as invisible as
he used to because people
are reading the tabloid
story of the eviction
speech and riot.
Chapter 16
IM goes to a boxing match and saw a torn picture of a
champion fighter. This is ironic because he used to
want to be a fighter.
IM used to idolize the idea of being a fighter. But he
wasn’t willing to take the consequences of being a
fighter, for example going blind.
Chapter 18
IM gets a warning
note telling him
not to “go too
fast”. And to
remember his
social standing in
the world.
There is a
possibility that
one of the white
brothers wrote
the letter.
Chapter 21
At Clifton’s eulogy
former members were
marching with banners
because they are angry
about Clifton’s death.
Chapter 25
In his briefcase are all of the important papers, to him,
that he has collected throughout the book.
He has the diploma that he got after the fight.
He has the paper that Jack wrote IM’s new name on
and the anonymous letter that is also from Jack.
Chapter 25
While he is going
through these, he
realizes that “the
end was in the
beginning.”
The men had
stripped him of
his individuality
and of his
illusions.