Reflection_of+_the_Time_Period

=__Reflection on the time period and setting in which the novel takes place__=

=Lou Goldstein, Jenna Schaffer, and Jessi Steinberg=

After World War I, various amounts of soldiers suffered from their horrific experiences during battle.Veterans experienced "post- traumatic stress disorder", also known as shellshock, which left them confused and searching for their "true identity". Effects of fighting let many war veterans to think twice about their actions, and second-guess everything they were fighting for in the first place. Yet, it also helped inspire many creative minds, giving people ideas for songs, poems, and other forms of artwork. Contradictory attitudes formed, leaving some people pursuing a pacifist type of attitudes while others became increasingly angry, wanting to act in a spiteful, revengeful manner. [4]
 * __Post World War I__**



The Harlem Renaissance was a time period around the end of World War I through the middle of 1930's depression. It was a period of time where talented African American writers flourished by producicing literature in the form of poetry, fiction, drama, and essay. During this time period, a significant migration took place where Southern blacks moved into the urban center of Harlem, creating a community where black culture had the opportunity to flourish. W.E.B. DuBois, a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, introduced a concept called "twoness", defined as "a divided awareness of one's identity." [2][3] In the novel, the character of the invisible man reflects a typical black man living in society at this time who is unsure of his place in the world and his roles and responsibilities as a negro. In our wiki, we will elaborate on how the protagonist in the Invisible Man fits the mold of an individual whose experiences and shortcomings led him on a futile quest to find his true self.
 * __The Harlem Renaissance__**


 * __Streets of Harlem__**

//“It was dark with the tallness of the buildings and the narrow streets. Armored cars with the alert guards went passes as I looked for the number. The streets were full of hurrying who walked as though they had been wound up and were directed by some unseen control. Many men carries dispatch cases and briefcases and I gripped mine with a sense of importance. And here and there I saw Negroes who hurries along with leather pouches strapped to their wrist. They reminded me fleetingly of prisoners carrying their leg irons as they escaped from a chain gang yet they seemed aware of some self importance, and I ished to stop one and ask him why he was chained to his pouch.” (164)[1]// Although the blacks represented in this scene were clearly past the stages of slavery in terms of realizing their freedom and living technically equal lives, the IM can not help thinking back to the past as he notes the chain worn around their wrists. This can be compared to Post World-War I trauma, where soldiers often associated everyday things with simple aspects of war. [4] These type of associations drove war veterans crazy, and also eat away at the Invisible Man.

//"Walking about the streets, sitting on subways besides whites, eating with them in the same cafeterias (although I avoided their tables) gave me the eerie, out of focus sensation of a dream. My cloths felt ill-fitting; and for all my letters to men of power, I was unsure of how I should act. For the first time, as I swung along the streets, I thought consciously of how I had conducted myself at home. I hadn’t worried too much about whites as people. Some were friendly and some were not, and you tried not to offend either. But here they all seemed impersonal; and yet when most impersonal they startled me by being polite. By begging my pardon after brushing against me in a crowd.” (168)[1]// The Invisible Man is struggling with the fact that whites are living among blacks as well as sharing several of the same privileges. It took some time for him to get used to this, and realize his identity as an equal individual in society. His past experiences showed him one side of white society in which he formed a single consensus about, feeling thatthey were always up to no good. Harlem was a whole different ballgame for the IM, and Harlem during this time period served as a place where blacks felt first confused with its uniqueness, but accepted after getting used to its ins and outs.

//I had already written home that I was working for a member of the trustee board, and the only letter I had received so far was one telling me how wonderful they thought it was and warning me against ways the wicked city.” (169)[1]// As the invisible man wrote home informing his family about his recent change of events he received a letter back warning against the apparent WICKED city. At this time period Harlem  was seen as a close knit community, banned together to boast its culture and race. From poverty to growth the Harlem  area may have seemed like a dangerous place to an outsider. However, from the inside it was simply a group of people celebrating and modeling their heritage in various ways. An individual entering this proud society might have had trouble fitting in at first, but eventually will find that they too will partake in the spiritual and intellectual growth of the community.

//“There was a rush against me and I feel, hearing a single explosion, backward into a whirl of milling legs, overshoes, the trampled snow cold on my hands. Another shot sounded above like a bursting bag. Managing to stand, I saw atop the steps the fist with the gun being forces into the air above the crowds bobbing heads and he next instant they were dragging him down into the snow; punching him left and right, uttering a low tense swelling sound of desperate effort, a grunt that exploded into a thousand softly spat, hate-sizzling curses. I saw a woman striking with the pointed heel of her shoe, her face a blank mask with hollow black eyes as she aimed and struck, aimed and stuck, bringing spurts of blood, running along besides the man who was dragged by his feet now as thy punched him gauntlet-wise between them.” (280)[1]// //Biff, bang! One, two, and the cop’s on his ass!” (438)[1]// This represents the typical conflict between the Black men of the community verse the white men and police officers. As a white man dragged not only a Black women’s furnisher, but the actual women outside, people stood along the streets and watched. An eviction was taking place and although this was a normal occurrence the invisible man along with the rest of the people began to get enraged. The narrator delivers a speech protesting the fact that this women and her husband were now on the streets, homeless, along with all the other Black people in the society. As the police arrive the narrator runs in hopes that he will get away safely although others were not as lucky. Police men were not kind and looked upon Black people with disgust and disdain. With no mercy or hesitation these people would get beat and shot in the matter of a second. The flee and the many people running for their lives sum up the relationship of people not involved in the feeling of Black pride. Those who couldn’t share in on this feeling put forth every effort to put an end to the flourish of the black community.

//“Standing here in three shades of blackness! Three black men fighting in the streets because of the white enslaver? Is that sanity? Is that consciousness, scientific understahnding? Is that the modern black mahn of the twentieth century? Hell, mahn! Is it self-respect- black against black?” (372)[1]// The restrictions that whites put on blacks during the early 1900s caused serious black on black conflict, and essentially caused many blacks to "drown" themselves. Each black man had a different idea of how to combat white oppression, and it was common during the Harlem Renaissance for blacks to come up with various solutions and means to promote themselves in society and gain ground. This worked positively from time to time but often became a source of racial tension.

“//The moment I entered the bright, buzzing lobby of Men’s house I was overcome by sense of alienation of hostility. The lobby was the meeting place for various groups still caught up in the illusions that had just been boomeranged out of my head: college boys working to return to school down South; older advocates of racial progress with utopian schemes for building black business empires; preachers ordained by no authority except their own, without church or congregation, without bread or win, body or blood; the community “leaders” without followers; old men of sixty or more still caught up in post- Civil War dreams of freedom within segregation; the pathetic ones who possessed nothing beyond their dreams of being gentlemen, who held small jobs or drew small pensions, and all pretending to be engaged in some vast, though obscure, enterprise, who affected the pseudo-courtly manners of certain southern congressmen and bowed and nodded as they passed like senile old roosters in a barnyard; the younger crowd for whom I now felt a contempt such as a disillusioned dreamer feels for those still unaware that they dream- the business students from the southern colleges form whom business was a vague, abstract game with rules as obsolete as Noah’s Ark but who yet were drunk on finance.” (256)[1]// Harlem was considered a relocation area for blacks of the time. Many black saw it as a place where they could be given a second chance in life and get away from the evils of both slavery and war. In this scene the IM criticizes the lifestyles and outlooks of the men in the house who he feels are too caught up in their own ideals. This goes hand in hand with the motif of the struggle to find an identity in a society ravaged by war and slavery. These men are caught up by dreams of pursuing personal and group ideals, and are still stuck in the past in terms of their goals. //“Late that afternoon at headquarters I reported that things were quieting down and that we were getting a large part of the community interested in a clean-up campaign which would clear all backyard, areaways, and vacant lots of garbage and trash and take Harlem’s mind off Clifton.” (514)[1]// // The brotherhood as well as a number of groups in the //// Harlem //// area constantly pulled together and tried to help the community in as many ways as possible. Whether cleaning up the streets or protesting for their rights the people of //// Harlem //// did numerous things to help out others. This simple action shows the generosity and sense of giving during the //// Harlem //// renaissance. They were a unit and together they joined in to make their culture flourish. // //“All you have to do is listen to folks in Harlem. All they talk about is him. Never nothing about what the rest of us do. I tell you, Brothers this man constitutes a danger to the people of Harlem. He ought to be thrown out! ….. That is for the committee to decide” (403)[1]//  Overcome by a sense of jealousy the brotherhood debates whether or not to keep the narrator. People outside the group notice and listen attentively to the words of the invisible man. The attention he gets for his speech deliverance cannot be unnoticed and the people are starting to get angry. During the Harlem Renaissance writers, musicians, singers etc. were the reason their community thrived and the fact that the invisible man may be a part of the famous names )W.E.B DuBois, Booker T. Washington) made some of the brothers nervous. They questioned his motives and what he was actually doing in the Brotherhood. Of course because they are such a close society the committee must decide whether or not the narrator has the correct motives for the club. They want to make sure he’s in it to help people and not to get his name established.
 * __Brotherhood__**

//“Looking through the window, I could see men in working cloths and a few rummy women leaning at the bar, and down the aisle between the bar and counter were a couple of men in black and blue checked sport shirts eating barbecue. A cluster of men and women hovered near the juke box at the rear. But when Borhter Maceo wasn’t among one of them I pushed to the bar, deciding to wait over a beer.” (423)[1]// During this time period bars were packed with workers, vets and some women. Catching a break from work and grabbing a beer, or drowning your sorrow, people were drawn to this scene. This quote portrays the typical bar scene most likely during the day. Casual beers and people getting drunk in the mist of the evening was very common in //Harlem //// during the 1930s. Some celebrated their recent accomplishments and others sat and mourned over the recent war. Either way the bar was always packed. //


 * Golden Day**

//“I saw them as we approached the short stretch that laid between the railroad track and the Golden Day. At first I failed to recognize them. They straggled down the highway in a loose body, blocking the way from the white line to the frazzled weeds that bordered the sun heated concrete slab. I cursed them silently. They were blocking the road and Mr. Norton was gasping for breath. Ahead of the radiators gleaming curve they looked like a chain gang on it s way to make a road. But a chain gang marches single file and I saw no guards on horseback. As I drew nearer I recognized the loose gray shirts and pants worn by the veterans. Damn! They were heading for the Golden Day.” (71)[1]// The Invisible Man is making contact with the veterans for the first time in the novel. Initially, he shows no respect for them, as he fails to recognize who they are. After identifying them by clothing, the invisible man was shocked. The veterans too were headed toward the Golden Day, a hang out for the general public. Historically speaking, veterans of World War I were treated with disrespect when they returned from war. Often seen blended in with society, many failed to recognize their importance.

//“A former solider, Sir. A vet. They’re all vets, a little shellshocked.” (73)[1]// During World War I, soldiers returned from battle scarred both inside and out. They suffered "post-traumatic stress disorder", or "shellshock" which affects the mindset and actions after such horrible experiences, showing a major change in behavior. Soldiers constantly showed dissapointment with their country and it's people while second guessing their purpose. In the novel, the veterans' behavoir is common to all. The invisible man watches the veterans act so bizzare, with reason being "shellshocked." Either way, veterans were not treated as they should.

//“He looked about him. I followed his eyes and was amazed to see the varied expressions on the patients’ faces as they silently returned his gaze. Some were hostile, some cringing, some horrified; some who when among themselves were most violent, now appeared as submissive as children. And some seemed strangely amused. (81)[1]// This shows great emphasis on how the veterans were vulnerable on the inside. All acting in a different manner, these soldiers showed numerous emotions and expressed their pain. At times, pain turned into violence, while others it turned into hostile behavior. This scene is a great example of how soldiers truely acted during this time period.

//I had never been so close to a white person before. In a panic I struggled to get away. With his eyes closed he seemed more threatening than with them open. He was like a formless white death, suddenly appeared before me, a death which had been there all the time and which had now revealed itself in the madness of the Golden Day. (86)[1]// In the novel, the Golden Day represents chaos both fictionally and Non-fictionally. Here, the invisible man has an encountering with a white man for the "first time in his life." Viewing this man as a threat, the invisible man accepts this matter with the excuse that the Golden Day brings madness. This madness is an example of times after World War I when soldiers and blacks were struggling for rights and respect.

//“Then from down the hall I could hear Mary singing, her voice clear and untroubled, though she sang a troubled song. It was the “Back Water Blues.” I lay listening as the sound flowed to and around me, bringing me a calm sense of my indeptedness.” (297)[1]// The Harlem Renaissance was a time when African American authors began writing literature, poetry, and music. Leisure and entertainment flourished as African Americans began to gain opportunities. Becoming in touch with your own identity became an on-going theme at the time. "Black Water Blues" was about a black man living in a society surrounded by white people. Listening to the song influenced the invisible man to remain in touch with his feelings and identity, while maintaining control of his surroundings. This shows how talented writers inspired others during this time period.
 * Mary’s House**

//“And yet we were all touched; the song had aroused us all. It was not the words, for they were all the same old slave-bourn words; it was as though he’d changed the emotions beneath the words while yet the old longing, resigned, transcendent emotion still sounded above, now deepened by that something for which the theory of the Brotherhood had given me no name.” (453)[1]// Music was a key method of communication during the Harlem Renaissance, and was valued both as a teaching tool and a way of expressing emotions that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. [2] For blacks and the IM music was a way to identify with their culture. The narrator brings of the fact that he hasn't been "given a name". This adds to the motif of the IM searching for his identity, something he has not yet come into contact with at this point in the novel.
 * IM’s thoughts**



//“Yes, and I would move about the community by night and during times of danger by wearing the white hat and the dark glasses. It was a dreary prospect but a means of destroying them, at least in Harlem!” (510)[1]// This situation is a play on identity and concealment of true character. The IM has become shunned by several individuals and groups throughout his journey, the latest of that being the Brotherhood. Although he is a black man living in a black-oriented community, intraracial tension has caused him to become outcasted and pretend to be someone that he's not. After trying his best to find a true sense of belonging and a cause to rally against, he once again is left looking for himself alone. //"And my problem was that I always tried to go in everyone’s way but my own. I have also been called one thing and then another while no one really wished to hear what I called myself. So after years of trying to adopt the opinions of others I finally rebelled. I am an invisible man." [1]// Throughout the novel, the Invisible Man lacked a consistent source of direction, much like many people trying to find stability in their lives following the first World War. He was trapped inside a time period in which blacks were thought of as subhuman, and were often used as tools to further the white man's goals. He was mislead several times, one of the most notable being by the school superintendent following the boxing match at the school board "meeting". Being grateful for anything seemingly positive that came in his way, he accepted the scholarship given to him to a college that in reality would send him nowhere in life. This was the first step he took down a path in his life which led him to sorrow and no worthwhile goal in the end.
 * __Life Underground__**

Works Cited:
1) Ellison, Ralph. __Invisible Man__. New York: Random House, Inc., 1952. 2) "Harlem Renaissance," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007 [|http://encarta.msn.com] © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

3) Reuben, Paul. "Chapter 9: Harlem Renaissance - A Brief Introduction ." __PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide - An Ongoing Project__ . FEB 2008. 3 Mar 2008 <[|http://web.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap9/9intro.html>.]

4) "Social Trauma." __Wikipedia__. March 2008. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 3 Mar 2008 .