People
plot
IM
symbols
themes
100
starts riots in Harlem, black nationalist, thinks blacks will never fit in white society
Who is Ras the Exhorter?
100
this what the IM discovers about Jack
What is that Jack wrote the first threatening letter?
100
They give him insurance money in return for signing a paper which says that he will not hold the factory responsible for anything that has happened to him. Then they turn him loose.
What final action does the hospital take to ensure the narrator's silence?
100
"Keep American Pure with Liberty Paints."
What is the slogan of Liberty Paints and it is ironic?
100
He is not a ghost, but people refuse to see him with their inner eyes. That is, they refuse to acknowledge him. He is like a street lamp; everyone knows it is there, but people don't spend any time thinking about it.
Why does the narrator say he is invisible?
200
impregnated his own daughter, thought it was a dream
Who is Jim Trueblood?
200
this is who (not Washington) IM wants to be like
Who is the founder?
200
It appears that the Brotherhood is losing control of Harlem. Clifton has disappeared and Ras, who they call a racist, has been increasing his agitation. They appear to want the narrator to help restore order, but they may also want to get him to where they can watch him more closely.
Why is the narrator's work on the "woman question" cut short?
200
this is why the women doesn't want the figurine in her trash
What is she is racist and doesn't want black person's trash with hers.
200
It could mean several things, but overall the epithet is a comment made out of bitterness and jealousy. The narrator is presumed to have become successful because he is obeying the white brothers and getting a paycheck via a job they created. Many of the people in Harlem have lost jobs that the Brotherhood had created.
What is meant by "white fevor"?
300
a black man who serves the white community
Who is Dr. Bledsoe?
300
going here makes IM uncomfortable because he sees what he must rise above.
What is Trueblood's house?
300
He lives in a building for whites and uses their electricity because they cannot conceive of his presence.
What is how he uses setting to create his invisibilty?
300
this went bad when the company tried to replace Mr. Brockway
What is the paint?
400
really wanted to meet Trueblood
Who is Mr. Norton?
400
Jealousy. He basically dismisses it by pointing out that while some of the Brothers have resisted the narrator's ideas initially, once the idea itself is worked out, they have been in favor of the results. He says the letter is most likely from someone who resents the narrator coming in and doing things they should have done a long time ago. Also, they don't want the narrator to gain too much power too quickly.
To what does Brother Tarp attribute the warning letter?
400
He understands that the narrator has no significance as a person, but is simply a possession to Mr. Norton and will be discarded when Mr. Norton is finished with him.
What does the veteran at the Golden Day understand that the narrator does not?
400
this makes IM's white bosses not trust him
What is his education and background?
400
the vet accuses Mr. Norton of this
What is treating blacks like conquests?
500
is like the greek poet Homer
Who is Reverend Homer A. Barbee?
500
the tension of the crowd
What does the narrator notice at the funeral that he would like to exploit?
500
The doll represents the African American prior to being educated by white people. The black thread that makes it dance is invisible. The thread could be seen as the invisible but indestructible link to African American traditions and roots, or it could be seen as the invisible connection used by whites to control the blacks.
What is the significance of the black thread that controls the dancing doll?
500
Intellectual vision that is defective
What is the moon?
500
He has developed a sense of urgency in speaking out about the needs of the Black people and in getting the rest of the world to allow them to have an identity of their own.
To what kind of action has music called the narrator?
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