Kevin Curwick
Phillis Webb
Sherlyne Barasa
THEME
Blind loyalty and obedience
can fuel the power that
corrupts innocence and
disguises reality.
THESIS STATEMENT
The strict obedience and moral guidelines
embedded in Invisible Man’s personality
created in his youth helped destroy his
identity through the assumption of others’
ideas to be right and virtuous.
EVIDENCE 1
 “‘He believes in you as he believes in the beat of his heart.
He believes in that great false wisdom taught slaves and
pragmatists alike, that white is right… He’ll do your bidding,
and for that his blindness is his chief asset.’” (Ellison 95)
 Vet to Mr. Norton
SO WHAT?
 The vet’s statement to Mr. Norton exposes the Invisible Man’s
blind loyalty to the world. The vet shows how Norton took
advantage of the Invisible Man by teaching him through the
college, his only established home. He taught the Invisible Man
to obey and conform to the standards set by the founders
alike. This is applicable to the theme in that it shows how a
person’s right to identity is stripped from them in order to
remain constant with the authority’s power and vision.
EVIDENCE 2
 “‘I’s big and black and I say ‘Yes, suh’ as loudly as any
burrhead when it’s convenient, but I’m still the king down
here… The only ones I even pretend to please are the big
white folk, and even those I control more than they control
me… That’s my life, telling white folk how to think about the
things I think about.’” (Ellison 143)
 Bledsoe to the Invisible Man
SO WHAT?
 This is an example, tying into the theme, of how the forced impression
of ideas upon another creates a chain of suppressing identities.
Bledsoe’s own identity had been lost to the need of power, and
through that, he damaged the Invisible Man’s ideas of the world and
self opinion. Bledsoe exposes the Invisible Man’s blind trust at the end
of the section, sending him to New York with “recommendation”
letters, further hurting his ability in the world. Bledsoe’s double
standards illustrated in the quote sets the mold for Invisible Man’s ideas
later on in the book with “yessing them to death.”
EVIDENCE 3
“Of course I knew he was a founder, but I
knew also that it was advantageous to
flatter rich white folks.” (Ellison 38)
 Invisible Man’s Thought
SO WHAT?
 This example shows evidence to the fact that the Invisible
Man has already accepted his role as a pawn in another
person’s game. The Invisible Man is telling Mr. Norton
everything he wants to hear and in return, Norton convinces
him that he is part of this big movement, this destiny. Norton
clouds his mind with pathos, using the death of his daughter
to convince the Invisible Man that Norton was destined to
“help” the African American race.
EVIDENCE 4
“‘You are important because if you fail I
have failed…’ But you don’t even know
my name, I thought…” (Ellison 45)
 Mr. Norton talking to Invisible Man
 Invisible Man’s thought
SO WHAT?
 In this example, it becomes obvious to the reader that the
Invisible Man is unimportant to the end, but important in
ensuring that others similar to him remain on the same track
of blindness to reality. This quote brings to light the
magnitude of the Invisible Man’s blindness. He continues to
participate in this “destiny” even after he recognizes the
lack of his personal importance.
CONCLUSION
 The effects and impact of the idea of home to the Invisible
Man show the importance of creating opportunity to form
one’s own ideas, opinions, and beliefs. Through this, one
may find their identity formed through their individual
background rather than having ideas forced upon them by
others. Had it not been for his time at the college, his home,
the Invisible Man may not have been exposed to as many
controlling ideas and powers. The Invisible Man’s home is
relevant to the extent of his blind obedience which is
extreme, not only by the end of the chapter, but by the end
of the book.
CONCLUSION, CONT.
How is it that Invisible Man, a 20th century
book about racism and social segregation
still applies to our world today, even after
African Americans are socially equivalent?