Allusions in Invisible Man

There are many allusions that are present in Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. One such allusion is the Brer Rabbit. After receiving electro-shock therapy, the narrator was asked “Who was Buckeye the Rabbit?” (Ellison 241) and “Who was Brer Rabbit?” (242). After realizing that the boy did not know anything about himself, the doctor asked him who this character was because he originated from African culture and it was assumed that anyone who was black knew who this character was. The Brer Rabbit stories can be traced back to West Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa as the hare figure was featured prominently in the story telling traditions of these areas as the trickster character. The trickster character is a character in African story telling traditions usually succeeded by his brains rather than his brawns, messing with social norms and authority figures as he deemed necessary. Another allusion that is present in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man is Booker T. Washington. Booker T. Washington was part of the last generation of African Americans that was born into slavery in the U.S. and became one of the leading voices of the former slaves and their descendants. He was a proponent for the advancement of the black educational system and economic advancement in the black community. He wanted the former slaves and their descendants to avoid fighting over segregation and the Jim Crow Laws. He believed that before civil rights could be made equal between races that first the African American community had to grow educationally and economically. Through various rallies and speeches he was able to move a collaboration of middle-class blacks, white philanthropists, politicians, and church leaders nationwide in order to strengthen the community economically and educationally through self-help and schooling. He was able to master the political arena of his time which allowed him to manipulate the media, strategize, network, pressure and raise money while keeping his enemies down. This is not unlike the brotherhood in the novel. The brotherhood made use of rallies and speeches in order to gain allies to their cause and bring issues to light. Another of the many allusions that is present in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man are Homer and the Odyssey. When he is in the church hearing the sermon that the narrator realizes “It was when he raised his head that I saw it. For a swift instant, between the gesture and the glitter of his glasses, I saw the blinking of sightless eyes. Homer A. Barbee was blind.” (133). The theme of blindness is prevalent across the whole novel and is very important to understanding the book as a whole. The name Homer refers to the ancient Greek epic poet and the name means he who is forced to follow or blind. Throughout the novel blindness is used to show how people can rallied up and fighting for a cause but don’t truly understand what they are fighting for as they have been blinded by the truth by those above them. In The Odyssey Odysseus meets up with a Cyclops who wanted to eat him and his crew. In order to avoid that fate they end up blinding him so that they can escape unharmed. The Cyclops was originally able to perceive the world around him but do to the actions of those around him was left blind and unable to discern things for himself. This represents most of the characters in the novel. Originally they believe that they are able to see what they stand for and what they are fighting for but as time moves on the ones in charge slowly blind them to what is truly happening in the world around them.