Insanity or Clarity?

Insanity – the state of being seriously mentally ill; madness. Throughout Invisible Man, the reader encounters several characters who are defined by this description. Ellison also allows his audience to question the Narrator’s sanity, as the dreamlike visions of his life leave us questioning his reliability and rationale. As the Narrator tells his story, he describes several characters as being mentally unstable, starting with his grandfather. When he spoke of undermining white society, the parents removed the children from the room and drew the blinds, calling him crazy. The grandfather had never spoken of such things before and obviously they were shocked that he would hold such a viewpoint, but that doesn’t explain their overly drastic actions. The vet is another example of this same occurrence. The narrator and his family react the way they do because they know that these “insane” people are correct. Especially for the narrator, however, this is something that is almost impossible to accept. His entire life and plan, for the future, is based on his view of a just society. When he is blamed for the situation with Mr. Norton, he accepts fault, because otherwise his understanding of his surrounding world would be corrupted. If he accepts that he has done wrong, then there is always a way to improve and rise up. However, if he realizes that he is not at fault, then he must also accept that the system is obviously flawed.

Other characters that the reader might begin to question are Dr. Bledsoe, Brockway, and Ras. These might not be obvious choices at first, but they all seem to interpret the system, of white power, differently. Dr. Bledsoe could be read as suffering from a dual personality disorder. Of course, the reader might view him as completely sane, but were the white donors to know his real standpoint on power, they would certainly deem him as mentally unfit to serve his community. The road leading directly to the insane asylum, is no coincidence, as Ellison wants his audience to draw a connection. What do the patients all have in common, at the Golden Day? Is it that they are insane? One might argue that they are more mentally fit than most, as they are professionals in various fields, including medical professions. What connects them is their outlook on the world. They have been cast aside by white society because they are dangerous. If they are labeled as insane, this will discourage other African Americans from traveling down the same road and denouncing any ideas that originate from them.

Brockway is strange. But is this a fact, or is the reader biased by the Narrator’s interpretation? Our first encounter with Brockway is not exactly positive. The Narrator seems to dislike him from the moment he enters the basement. Brockway is paranoid and fears the unions, as well as believing that he alone is in charge of the entire factory, which the narrator doubts. The utter contempt and lack of respect the Narrator shows for Brockway allows the reader to understand what kind of model of “good” behavior, the Narrator admires. Why does he revere Bledsoe but not Brockway? This is an interesting question because there are arguably several parallels between the two. They both claim to run the white world from behind the scenes and have risen to a position of power within their system. At the same time, they are both stuck and can’t move from their current positions without losing. The Narrator most likely doesn’t respect Brockway because of his lack of education or proper behavior, but although not as educated, Brockway does understand everything necessary to do his job well.

Ras is painted in a negative light, as well. If not by the Narrator, then certainly by the Brotherhood and their ideals. Again, Ras is depicted as uneducated, but at the same time is able to lead much of the Harlem community. When Clifton and the Narrator fight against Ras, he makes some points that probably should have persuaded them both to stop working with the brotherhood, but once again the Narrator calls him crazy and denounces his ideas. It is truly incredible how much the Narrator believes in each system that he has become a part of. At first, he works with the system and later he does pretty much the opposite, fighting with the Brotherhood, as a radical. But once he joins a new system, he accepts every aspect and doesn’t seem to form his own opinions. Brother Jack highlights this aspect when he says that the Narrator is part of the organization to speak, not think.

Are these characters truly insane? Not at all. They are arguably the sanest characters in the book. The other definition of insane is extreme foolishness or irrationality. This definition describes the white characters of the book. Mr. Norton is insane in thinking that the Narrator will prove his destiny, when he has had nothing to do with the Narrator’s education or life, prior to that point. The Brotherhood council is insane, as they think they can help bring about an equal society by disregarding all differences and ignoring centuries of racism and societal problems. White society is insane in thinking that they can control African Americans through segregation and discrimination. The only people who really understand the system are the people labeled as insane, because these are the most “dangerous” people, in the eyes of white society.