Literature Course Library

Read, track, and reflect across a structured canon.

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Chapter-by-Chapter Notes

Invisible Man · During reading

Use this as you read - important points and questions for each section

What Happens

The unnamed narrator introduces himself as an “invisible man.”
He lives in a basement room in NYC, illuminated by 1,369 light bulbs, for which he steals electricity from the power company.
He listens to Louis Armstrong’s “What Did I Do to Be So Black and Blue?” and reflects on the nature of being social invisible.

Important Points

The Lights: The lights represent his attempt to “see” himself and be seen. “Invisibility” is not a physical state, but a social one.
The Philosophy: He has retreated from the world to understand it.

What Happens

The narrator, a gifted student, is invited to give a speech at a gathering of the town’s leading white citizens.
First, he and other Black boys are forced into a brutal boxing match (“Battle Royal”) while blindfolded.
After the fight, he gives his speech—which praises humility and hard work—and is awarded a briefcase and a scholarship to the state college for Negroes.

Important Points

The Grandfather’s Curse: “Live with your head in the lion’s mouth. I want you to overcome ‘em with yeses.”
The Irony: He is being “rewarded” for his own humiliation.

What Happens

At college, the narrator is the driver for Mr. Norton, a wealthy white trustee.
He accidentally takes Norton to the “slave quarters” and then to a scandalous tavern called “The Golden Day.”
The college president, Dr. Bledsoe, is furious that Norton was exposed to the “negative” side of Black life. He expels the narrator and sends him to New York with “letters of recommendation.”

Important Points

Dr. Bledsoe: The ultimate example of a “yes-man” who uses his power to keep other Black people down while appearing humble to whites.
The Letters: The narrator later discovers the letters actually say: “Keep this n****r boy running.”

What Happens

In New York, the narrator gets a job at Liberty Paints, whose slogan is “Optic White is the Right White.”
He works in the basement, mixing a black chemical into the paint to make it “whiter.”
A boiler explosion knocks him unconscious. He is subjected to “electric shock therapy” in a factory hospital, which is essentially a brainwashing procedure.

Important Points

The Paint Metaphor: The idea that “white” society is built on the labor and the “essence” of Black people, which is then made invisible.
The Hospital: The doctors try to “reset” his identity to turn him into a perfect worker.

What Happens

After giving an impassioned speech at an eviction, the narrator is recruited by The Brotherhood (an organization based on the Communist Party).
They give him a new name, a salary, and training in political theory.
He becomes a powerful orator in Harlem, but realizes the Brotherhood cares more about their “global ideology” than the actual lives of the people.

Important Points

Brother Jack: The leader who has a glass eye—a symbol of his “blindness” to the reality of the individual.
Ras the Destroyer: A Black nationalist leader who opposes the Brotherhood and provides a violent alternative to the narrator’s path.

What Happens

Tod Clifton, a charismatic member of the Brotherhood, disappears and is found selling “Sambo dolls” on the street. He is shot by a policeman.
The narrator organizes a funeral for Clifton, which the Brotherhood condemns.
Harlem explodes into a massive riot.
In the chaos, the narrator falls into a manhole while being chased by Ras the Destroyer and the police.

Important Points

The Sambo Doll: A symbol of how society turns Black people into entertaining puppets.
The Disguise (Rinehart): The narrator briefly disguises himself as a man named Rinehart, discovering that he can be “many things” because no one sees him for who he is.

Reflect on the narrator’s journey from the “Battle Royal” to the “Basement” here:

Chapter-by-Chapter Notes created: 2025-12-25
For Great Literature 105 - Book 07 of 10