symbolic objects

It is significant because in a previous chapter he was idolizing the school and the scenery but now he awakens in a sense to see the real events or circumstances he actually notices now.  In this chapter, the chapel is seen as the symbolic symbol. "With whitewashed stones, those cryptic messages for men and women, boys and girls heading quietly toward where the visors waited, and we move not in the mood of worship but of judgement.  " The context of this quote is when TIM was coming back from delivering Mr Nortan and fears he will be expelled and makes his way to the chapel with his fellow classmates.

The Golden Day The Golden Day is the symbolic object of chapter 3, it represents Africa, specifically Ethiopia . TIM describes The Golden Day as club that the veterans go to. The club is ran by Halley who is one of the only black man in a place of power we've met so far, Halley represents Hallie Selassie who was Ethiopia's emperor. The Golden Day is like Ethiopia in the fact that it seems to be the only place where black men hold respectable position such as doctors and lawyers, it has not been corrupted by the white men as yet. Mr. Norton's visit to the Golden Day brings nothing but chaos just like during the colonization period when the White men brought chaos to Africa.

Full quotation w page number: " Then in my mind's eye I see the bronze statue of the college Founder, the cold Father symbol, his hands outstretched in the breathtaking gesture of lifting a veil that flutter in hard, metallic folds above the face of a kneeling slave; ..." Context for the quotation: The narrator is flashing back to his memory of a college campus. He remember this college's bronze statue of its founder, who is a black man. Explanation: The statue symbolize oppression and advancement. The idea of viewing a person through the veil is active in this quote with terms like " kneeling slave". It symbolize advancement because at that time, not many non-white man were honored in public. The society was a white dominant society.

the symbolic object being seen during the boxing fight is the blindfold.  the quotation would be...  "All ten of us climbed under the ropes and allowed ourselves to be blindfolded with broad bands of white cloth." pg (21) the cloth is white and being wrapped around his eyes further highlights how the world sees him as invisible as well as how he views the world invisible or "blind" through the white cloth or in a sense veil. he has adopted the "white" blindness the rest of the world sees 

"I have been carrying on a fight with Monopolated Light & Power for some time now. I use their service and pay them nothing at all." (pg.5) Ralph Ellison is revealing to his readers that he has been illegally stealing light in order to carry out his fight against society and corporations. This allows Ellison to feel alive and like he's taking a stand against corporations.