, Research Paper

The Invisible Man By Ralph Ellison The Liberty Paint Factory in Ralph Ellison & # 8217 ; s Invisible Man provides the scene for a really important concatenation of events in the novel. In add-on, it provides many symbols which will act upon a reader & # 8217 ; s reading. Some of those symbols are associated with the construction itself, with Mr. Kimbro, and with Mr. Lucius Brockway. The first of many cases in these scenes that concern the unseeable adult male and the symbolic function of white and black in the novel is when the storyteller is sent to the pigment mill by the immature Mr. Emerson to seek to happen a occupation. Mr. Emerson, nevertheless, merely sends him out of commiseration. The storyteller arrives and instantly notices the immense electric mark that reads & # 8220 ; KEEP AMERICA PURE WITH LIBERTY PAINTS & # 8221 ; . Later on, the reader will larn that Liberty Paint is celebrated for its white pigment called none other than & # 8220 ; Optic White & # 8221 ; . In consequence, the mark advertises to maintain America pure with Whites and non merely white pigment. Following, the unseeable adult male must walk down a long, pure white hallway. At this clip he is a black adult male symbolically immersed in a white universe, a recurringidea of the novel. After having his occupation, the storyteller goes to run into Mr. Kimbro. In this scene, Kimbro teaches the storyteller how to do the ordinary white pigment into & # 8220 ; Optic White & # 8221 ; : Ten beads of a black expression must be mixed in to the white pigment, of which the surface is already brown. the storyteller does non understand this, and inquires about it, merely to be insulted by Mr. Kimbro. Mr. Kimbro, in no manner what so of all time, wants any of his workers to believe. He merely wants them to obey. So the unseeable adult male, although still unable to grok this foible, does non prevail. the white pigment may stand for the white universe, possibly even America, as alluded to in the company & # 8217 ; s advertizement. the black expression is what makes the white pigment into & # 8220 ; Optic White & # 8221 ; , a much better, whiter, white. the expression, possibly, represents the behind the scenes inkinesss that worked for the Whites so that society persisted as it did in that clip period. This thought will be touched upon one time once more subsequently on in this series of scenes. The unseeable adult male so falls victim to a bad set of fortunes. He runs out of expression, and since Kimbro is non about, he tries to acquire himself some more. However, there are two containers with what appear to be the same sort of expression, merely with different markers. Naturally, the storyteller uses his intuition and discovers that the two liquids in the armored combat vehicles smell otherwise, and one odors like the expression he was utilizing. He gets more of that solution, and continues his work, merely to be scolded subsequently by Kimbro that he chose the incorrect one. Once once more, Kimbro states that he does non desire any minds working for him. He wants a submissive black that will merely follow the & # 8220 ; regulations & # 8221 ; established in his & # 8220 ; society & # 8221 ; . After repairing his mist

ake, the storyteller is sent back to the office to happen another place: Kimbro does non desire the unseeable adult male working for him. In the scene that follows, the unseeable adult male meets Mr. Lucius Brockway, deep down in the pigment mill.

Mr. Brockway, a black adult male, can be thought of a symbol himself. He is the black expression that makes the white pigment work. He is one of the many inkinesss that keep the pigment mill working. He is one of the many inkinesss that keep society as the Whites like it. Mr. Brockway makes the pulverization that is the base of the pigment. Again, a black influence that makes the & # 8220 ; Optic White & # 8221 ; paint possible appears. When the storyteller returns from acquiring his tiffin, he is confronted by Mr. Brockway about the brotherhood. it is here that the reader learns that the inkinesss that, in consequence, run the pigment mill, are being hired so that the company does non hold to pay brotherhood rewards. This is of import because it shows that the inkinesss are one time once more being taken advantage of by the Whites, yet they are still working behind the scenes to do things run like clockwork. Through out this disturbance, the storyteller has non been carry throughing one of his responsibility by watching the force per unit area gage. the force per unit area builds up, and right before the storyteller has a opportunity to turn it off, it explodes. Once once more, he is a black adult male immersed in a universe of white. This detonation leaves him in the mill infirmary. In the infirmary, he is given electroshock therapy. After the & # 8220 ; physicians & # 8221 ; are convinced that he is & # 8220 ; cured, & # 8221 ; ( i.e. he can non retrieve a thing ) , he is so given a name and is sent on his manner after subscribing a release and being given some money. Once once more, the Whites are taking advantage of the inkinesss. All of these events, besides being extremely of import on a symbolic degree as explained, besides contribute to the remainder of the novel. The college is a perfect illustration of a parallel environment. Dr. Bledsoe merely wants the storyteller to delight the Whites, with out inquiry. and because the storyteller did non, he ended up acquiring kicked out, merely like in the pigment mill. Besides, the Brotherhood provides another analogue. They merely want the inkinesss to work for the Brotherhood & # 8217 ; s causes, and non for the single member & # 8217 ; s demands. For illustration, Brother Wrestrum accused the storyteller of utilizing the Brotherhood to achieve his ain demands, and the storyteller was put on a sort of probation for it, so that the affair could be investigated. In a manner, the Liberty Paint Factory is a microcosm of America. There are inkinesss and Whites. However, on the surface both appear to be white and right. In consequence, it is truly the inkinesss that work behind the scenes to do things flow. They are taken advantage of, and controlled by thoughts put into their caputs. the pigment mill itself, Mr. Kimbro, and Mr. Lucius Brockway all aid portray this image to its fullest, while lending to the remainder of the novel.

34b