Skip to main content

Chapter 23

\
Symbolic Object: Dark Glasses

Quote: “They were of a green glass so dark that it appeared black, and I put them on immediately, plunging into blackness and moving outside.” (482)

 The glasses represent the Invisible Man becoming someone else through putting on a disguise, he became Rinehart; another man who lives in the city. TIM is involved in several cases of misidentification when he puts on the dark glasses. He makes himself invisible to Ras and the other people that know him.The glasses show TIM how to become invisible and the power that Rinehart holds over different groups of people by being able to transform into whatever character is acceptable for the situation. The glasses are also a veil in the fact that TIM can see the people but they can't see the real him.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Prologue

"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.

chapter 9 motif

the symbolic object in chapter 9 is grits - it challenges Tim to remember his heritage. He refused them so people won't view him as a southern black boy he feels ashamed. "could everyone see that I was southern? "ill have orange juice, toast and coffee." "I would have sworn you were a pork chop man" (pg 178) -The context is when Tim is in the diner and refuses to eat grits, pork chop etc because he doesn't want to look southern.