Eve's African American Literature Blog Fall 2021

      The term "brother" has been used so many times throughout "Invisible Man," it has practically become a theme of the novel. And yet, it is used in any way but a familial sense. Ralph Ellison uses the word with intention, and as a means to signal to the reader when white characters in the novel seek to align with the protagonist for their own gain.      A memorable time this word crops up is in chapter 10, when the protagonist stumbles into a union meeting and is immediately treated as suspect and bombarded by the "brothers" assembled there. He first remarks on the leader's use of the word, saying " Brother? Even after my weeks in the North this was surprising." (219) However, once they learn he is working for Brockway, the "brother" is quickly dropped, and the protagonist is seen as an enemy. After deliberation about whether he can be trusted again, the men in the locker room return to calling him brother. In this case, the wor...

     When recalling reading Native Son, one of the most emotionally charged scenes takes place at the start of book three. Bigger has finally come out of his sickness after being caught, and is suddenly confronted by an array of people coming into his cell. The scene itself is difficult to read, as it is when Bigger first sees his family after being arrested, but I would like to focus on the end of the scene, during which Mrs. Thomas attempts to appeal to the Daltons to save her son. The reaction of each person in the scene to Mrs. Thomas's actions indicate how much of the rest of the book with unfold, and how each character relates to their place in US society.       Towards the end of the scene, Mrs. Thomas appeals to Mrs. Dalton by kneeling at her feet and begging her to have mercy on Bigger. She attempts to find common ground between the two of them, saying "Please, don't let 'em kill my boy! You know how a mother feels!" (Wright, 301).  Howev...