The Brotherhood

In chapter 17 of Invisible Man, we see the narrator immerse himself in the work of the Brotherhood organization. In this chapter, I got the sense that the narrator became even more passionate and committed as the organization seems to provide the narrator with direction and purpose. The narrator’s emotional state in this chapter contrasts the way we see him several chapters ago when he first arrives in Harlem. He roams the streets aimlessly and doesn’t appear to have any social life or friends. Now, when he walks down the street his is a celebrity.

The Brotherhood organization seems to give the narrator a huge self-esteem boost. So much so that on page 380, he counts how many people stop and greet him on his way to work. The narrator enjoys all the attention he is getting as we see him “brag” about his importance around the city. He says “Speeches here, there, everywhere, uptown, and down. I wrote newspaper articles, led parades, and relief delegations, and so on”. The narrator talks about how he has lofty goals as he felt the Brotherhood was the only organization in the country that he could reach the top. The success that the narrator has makes him more confident and he believes that he can continue to move up.  

The narrator’s diligence and ability to spend hours upon end working tirelessly shows his devotion to the organization. He never shies away from an assignment. Ellison makes note of the narrator’s punctuality during the meeting when Tod Clifton shows up late. On page 379, the narrator says he worked “feverishly”. When Brother Jack shows up to work early in the morning on page 379, the narrator is already busy in his office. In addition, the narrator adopts a leadership role within the organization. On page 366, when brother Jack leaves the room, the narrator suggests that each member of the team “work in the area he knew best”. He assigns himself the difficult task of creating a liaison between the Brotherhood and the community leaders.

After the narrator’s altercation with Ras and Clifton, he seems even more in line with the principles of the Brotherhood. Even though Ras is able to present a convincing argument, the narrator stays steady and responds to Ras with an explanation. On page 374, He makes it clear that the organization will not back down by saying “We’ll be out here and the next time you go after our brothers with a knife-- and I mean white or black—well we won’t forget it”. In this conversation, the narrator is the “tough guy” in this scene as he makes it clear that the Brotherhood will continue to do what it does.