Invisible man
...ng up to a White man. He was punished for his defiance and attempt to assert his individuality. Imprisonment robbed him of his identity which he regained by escaping and establishing himself in the Brotherhood. The chain becomes a symbol between the narrator and Brother Tarp because the chain also symbolizes the narrator's experience in college, where he was not physically chained down, but he was restricted to living according to Dr. Bledsoe's rules. He feels that he too escaped, in order to establish himself again (386). The narrator identifies with Brother Tarp because he too is trying to be an individual free of other people's control. He does not want to be seen as a tool to be exploited, but instead as a free-thinking human being. This chain which is an object of oppression becomes a symbol of the link between the two generations, passing on the legacy and pride of Brother Tarp's accomplishments . Tarp fought for his freedom and rights and now he is passing the chain onto the next generation who will take up his mission. Not only is this chain a symbol of the link between the two men, but it is also serves as a link to the past. Brother Tarp carries it around to remind himself of his imprisonment and his fight for freedom. Similarly, it reminds the narrator of his own past and of the circumstances of events that led to him ultimately working for the Brotherhood. It reminds the narrator of his grandfather, an individual repressed by the system who went through his entire life obsequiously saying yes to all the men in power. The narrator also spent his life trying to please his superiors and in the end he had lost his identity. He would follow instructions and became a tool to be exploited. For example, he aspired to emulate Dr. Bledsoe, but the older man used him to promote his own power. Additionally, the chain not only serves as a reminder of Tarp's fight against slavery, but is ultimately used as a weapon of defiance and an implement of strength, as it is used by the narrator during a riot. Just as Brother Tarp lashed out against slavery and the people that suppressed him, the narrator is metaphorically lashing out at the injustice that he has seen. He ultimately discovers that he and the people of Harlem have been used by the Brotherhood for the promotion of the institution's power and he is lashing out against this. During the riot, the narrator gets trapped in a hole where he decides to stay in isolation and search for his own identity. The other symbol that is relevant to the narrator is a paper doll given to him by Brother Clifton. Brother Clifton, another member of the Brotherhood, is a dashing young Black man who is sympathetic to the narrator's ideas. Brother Clifton was an individual who seemed to be stable and seemed to enjoy success in the brotherhood, but he mysteriously disappeared. Clifton is next found by the narrator selling Sambo dolls on a street corner. The narrator wonders why Clifton, an established and respected member in the Brotherhood, would lower himself to becoming a street merchant. The Brotherhood had shifted some of its emphasis away from Harlem and maybe Clifton felt betrayed because the Brotherhood used him and then left him alone. It is no accident that Clifton was selling puppet dolls because it is symbolic of Clifton's sense of being played as a puppet by the Brotherhood. The word Sambo is appropriate because it is a term used to describe a Black who is manipulated by Whites. Clifton sense of worthlessness is so extreme that he almost invites a situation which leads to his demise. He resists arre...