CliffsNotes on Ellison's Invisible Man by Durthy A. Washington

Author:Durthy A. Washington
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Glossary

sectarianism narrow-minded, limited, parochial thinking.

Uncle Tom a term of contempt for a black whose behavior toward whites is regarded as fawning or servile.

perfidity betrayal of trust; treachery.

Chapters 18–19

Summary

Opening his morning mail in his Harlem District office, the narrator discovers an unsigned letter, warning him not to “go too fast” and that “this is a white man’s world.” Distraught, he turns to Brother Tarp, who says not to worry about the letter, reassuring the narrator that he has lots of support. Brother Tarp tells the narrator about his imprisonment for more than nineteen years because he dared to say “No” to a white man, and he gives the narrator a link from the chain he was forced to wear as an inmate. Although he doesn’t know what to make of Brother Tarp’s gift, the narrator is honored by his gesture.

Brother Wrestrum soon enters and, noticing the link of chain on the narrator’s desk, recommends that he remove it, so as not to dramatize the racial differences between the black and white members of the Brotherhood. When the narrator objects to his remark, Brother Wrestrum cautions him that there are people in the Brotherhood who are only interested in using the organization for their own gain. Realizing that he has the narrator’s attention, Brother Wrestrum informs him that Brother Tod Clifton struck a white man, not realizing that he was part of the Brotherhood. He points out that wearing Brotherhood emblems could prevent such incidents.

The narrator receives a call from a magazine, requesting an interview. Partly to spite Brother Wrestrum, he agrees to give the interview. About two weeks later, the narrator is shocked to learn that Brother Wrestrum has filed charges against him, accusing him of being an opportunist. The disciplinary committee revokes the narrator’s leadership role as spokesman for the Harlem District and puts him in charge of the Woman Question. Angry and humiliated, the narrator leaves Harlem without saying goodbye to anyone.

At his first speaking engagement, the narrator is seduced by a white woman who pretends to be intrigued by his speech, but is actually attracted to his “primitive” qualities. When the woman’s husband walks in on them, the narrator is horrified that the man does not seem to care.

The following day, at a meeting of the Brotherhood, the narrator learns that Brother Tod Clifton is missing.

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