Chapter 18
Chapter 19 & 20
Chapter 21 & 22
Chapter 23
About the Author
100
What does Brother Tarp give the narrator and why?
Brother Tarp gives the narrator a leg iron, from when he spent 19 years in a black chain gang. He was in the chain gang because he said “no” to a white man. Tarp gives the iron to him as a reminder of the Brotherhood cause.
100
How does the white woman get the narrator to accompany her home?
She said she wanted to talk with him about an issue at “greater length.” It was late and she would give him coffee.
100
What does Jack lose while he is fighting with the narrator?
His false eye.
100
What did Ras change his name to?
Ras the Destroyer.
100
Who is the author?
Ralph Ellison
200
Who wrote the anonymous letter and why?
A member of the Brotherhood wanted to warn the narrator not to “go too fast” because it was a “white man’s world”
200
What do the Sambo dolls symbolize?
The Sambo dolls represent a negative stereotype of African American slaves. The strings are meant to represent control. They are a very degrading symbol of African Americans.
200
What is the significance of Jack’s eye?
Jack lost his eye fighting for the brotherhood and it shows how committed and dedicated he is to the organization. His blindness could be a symbol to how his obligation to the Brotherhood’s ideas has blinded him to the important racist issues going on.
200
Why does Ras get upset with the Brotherhood?
Ras is upset by the way the Brotherhood reacted to the shooting of Clifton. Ras believed they should have done something about the shooting, and feels that the Brotherhood is not loyal to the black community.
200
What did Ellison study in college?
Music
300
Why is Brother Wrestrum uncomfortable with the leg iron being on the narrators desk?
Wrestrum explains that many of the members may be racist and keeping the leg iron on his desk “dramatizes” racist issues. The Brotherhood wants “the folks to think of the things [black and white people] have in common”
300
How does the narrators southern background contribute to his mixed feelings of being with the white woman?
In the south, mixed meetings with black and white activists would not occur. A white woman would not typically consider sleeping with a black man during that time period in the South.
300
Why is the Brotherhood mad about the narrators speech?
The narrator didn’t get their approval before associating the name of the Brotherhood with Clifton’s death and the race issues. The Brotherhood was upset with Clifton because he was a traitor and left the Brotherhood.
300
What brings the narrator to follow his grandfather’s advice?
After visiting with Hambro the narrator discovers the Brotherhood has larger political plans. This angers him and he decides to “yes, agree and grin the Brotherhood to death”
300
When was Ellison born?
March 1, 1913
400
How did the narrator react to being relocated to “ the Woman Question?”
Working with the Woman Question was not the narrator’s first choice, but he was willing to make the best of it. He believed that his relocation will show how much of an impact he actually made in Harlem.
400
Why do the men in the bar greet the narrator with such hostility?
Many men lost their jobs with the Brotherhood. They were not happy with the change in the Brotherhood issues and accused the narrator of having “white fever”
400
Why was the narrator angry about giving his speech at Clifton’s Funeral?
He didn’t know what the people wanted to hear. “Why hadn’t they come when they could have stopped it all?" The narrator was annoyed with their fascination of the tragedy. He was also very angry with the system. In his speech he repeats over and over, “His name was Tod Clifton and they shot him”
400
Why does the narrator like being disguised as Rinehart?
He is able to go to Ras the Exhorter’s speech unrecognized along with other places in Harlem. The invisibility gave him a type of freedom.
400
What was Ellison’s profession after his success as a writer?
He was a professor at several colleges.
500
In your opinion what were Wrestrum’s true intentions in trying to accuse the narrator? Was it a personal vendetta or was he trying to help the Brotherhood?
Personal- Wrestrum disliked the leg irons, and lied about the interview being arranged. Wrestrum was there when the narrator got the call and knew it wasn’t arranged. The narrator took the interview because Wrestrum was being so overbearing. The narrator believes it was personal and not for the good of the Brotherhood. “It no longer seemed real, but a mask behind which the real face was probably laughing
500
What is the significance of the narrator calling Brother Jack the “great white father?” How has the narrator’s view of this character changed?
The narrator realizes that brother Jack is using him as a tool to advance the Brotherhoods goals. He discovers that Jack has many of the same racist views as many the American society and compares him to the old white plantation owners. If the Brotherhood’s focus changes Jack would have no problem abandoning the black community.
500
Who is Rinehart? What does he represent?
Rinehart is portrayed as a bookie, pimp, and a preacher. His multiple personality lifestyle represents a life of extreme freedom and complexity (something that the narrator doesn’t have working for the Brotherhood.)
500
How long did Ellison attend college?
Three years. (Just like his character in the Invisible Man)
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