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AP book report on THE INVISIBLE MAN
Invisible Man essay Necroman
11/21/91
AP English
The Liberty Paint Factory in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man provides the
setting for a very significant chain of events in the novel. In addition, it
provides many symbols which will influence a reader's interpretation. Some of
those symbols are associated with the structure itself, with Mr. Kimbro, and
with Mr. Lucius Brockway.
The first of many instances in these scenes that concern the invisible
man and the symbolic role of white and black in the novel is when the narrator
is sent to the paint factory by the young Mr. Emerson to try to find a job.
Mr. Emerson, however, only sends him out of pity. The narrator arrives and
immediately notices the huge electric sign that reads "KEEP AMERICA PURE WITH
LIBERTY PAINTS". Later on, the reader will learn that Liberty Paint is famous
for its white paint called none other than "white". In effect, the sign
advertises to keep America pure with whites and not just white paint. Next,
the invisible man must walk down a long, pure white hallway. At this time he
is a black man symbolically immersed in a white world, a recurring idea of the
novel.
After receiving his job, the narrator goes to meet Mr. Kimbro. In this
scene, Kimbro teaches the narrator how to make the ordinary white paint into
"Optic White": Ten drops of a black formula must be mixed in to the white
paint, of which the surface is already brown. The narrator does not understand
this, and inquires about it, only to be insulted by Mr. Kimbro. Mr. Kimbro,
in no way what so ever, wants any of his workers to think. He just wants them
to obey. So the invisible man, although stile to comprehend this idiosyncrasy,
does not persist. The white paint may represent the white world, perhaps even
America, as alluded to in the company's advertisement. The black formula is
what makes the white paint into "Optic White", a much better, whiter, white.
The formula, perhaps, represents the behind the scenes blacks that worked for
the whites so that society persisted as it did in that time period. This idea
will be touched upon once again later on in this series of scenes.
The invisible man then falls victim to a bad set of circumstances. He
runs out of formula, and since Kimbro is not around, he tries to get himself
some more. However, there are two containers with what appear to be the same
kind of formulas, just with different markings. Naturally, the narrator uses
his intuition and discovers that the two liquids in the tanks smell
differently, and one smells like the formula he was using. He gets more of
that solution, and continues his work, only to be scolded by Kimbro that he
chose the wrong one. Once again, Kimbro states that he does not want any
thinkers working for him. He wants a submissive black that will just follow
the "rules" established in his "society". After fixing his mistake, the
narrator is sent back to the office to find another position: Kimbro does not
want the invisible man working for him. In the scene that follows, the
invisible man meets Mr. Lucius Brockway, deep down in the paint factory.
Mr. Brockway, a black man, can be thought of a symbol himself. He is
the black formula that makes the white paint work. He is one of the many
blacks that keep the paint factory working. He is one of the many blacks that
keep society as the whites like it. Mr. Brockway makes the powder that is the
base of the paint. Again, a black influence that makes the "Optic White" paint
possible appears. When the narrator returns from getting his lunch, he is
confronted by Mr. Brockway about the union. It e that the reader learns that
the blacks that, in effect, run the paint factory, are being hired so that the
company does not have to pay union wages. This is important because it shows
that the blacks are once again being taken advantage of by the whites, yet they
are still working behind the scenes to make things run like clockwork.
Through out this commotion, the narrator has not been fulfilling one
of his duty by watching the pressure gauge. The pressure builds up, and right
before the narrator has a chance to turn it off, it explodes. Once again, he
is a black man immersed in a world of white. This explosion leaves him in the
factory hospital. In the hospital, he is given electroshock therapy. After
the "doctors" are convinced that he is "cured," (i.e. he can not remember a
thing), he is then given a name and is sent ony after signing a release and
being given some money. Once again, the whites are taking advantage of the
blacks.
All of these events, besides being highly important on a symbolic level
as explained, also contribute to the rest of the novel. The college is a
perfect example of a parallel environment. Dr. Bledsoe only wants the narrator
to please the whites, with out question. And because the narrator did not, he
ended up getting kicked out, just like in the paint factory. Also, the
Brotherhood provides another parallel. They only want the blacks to work for
the Brotherhood's causes, and not for the individber's needs. For example,
Brother Wrestrum accused the narrator of using the Brotherhood to attain his
own needs, and the narrator was put on a kind of probation for it, so that the
matter could be investigated.
In a way, the Liberty Paint Factory is a microcosm of America. There
are blacks and whites. However, on the surface both appear to be white and
right. In effect, it is really the blacks that work behind the scenes to make
things flow. They are taken advantage of, and controlled by ideas put into
their heads. The paint factory itself, Mr. Kimbro, and Mr. Lucius Brockway
all help portray this image to its fullest, while contributing to the rest of
the novel.
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