chapter 1 detailed summary of the invisible man
Answers
The narrator speaks of his grandparents, freed slaves who, after the Civil War, believed that they were separate but equal—that they had achieved equality with whites despite segregation. The narrator’s grandfather lived a meek and quiet life after being freed. On his deathbed, however, he spoke bitterly to the narrator’s father, comparing the lives of black Americans to warfare and noting that he himself felt like a traitor. He counselled the narrator’s father to undermine the whites with “yeses” and “grins” and advised his family to “agree on ’em to death and destruction.” Now the narrator to lives meekly; he too receives praise from the white members of his town. His grandfather’s words haunt him, for the old man deemed such meekness to be treachery.
The narrator recalls delivering the class speech at his high school graduation. The speech urges humility and submission as key to the advancement of black Americans. It proves such a success that the town arranges to have him deliver it at a gathering of the community’s leading white citizens. The narrator arrives and receives instructions to take part in the “battle royal” that figures as part of the evening’s entertainment. The narrator and some of his classmates (who are black) don boxing gloves and enter the ring. A naked, blonde, white woman with an American flag painted on her stomach parades about; some of the white men demand that the black boys look at her and others threaten them if they don’t.
The white men then blindfold the youths and order them to pummel one another viciously. The narrator suffers defeat in the last round. After the men have removed the blindfolds, they lead the contestants to a rug covered with coins and a few crumpled bills. The boys lunge for the money, only to discover that an electric current runs through the rug. During the mad scramble, the white men attempt to force the boys to fall face forward onto the rug.
When it comes time for the narrator to give his speech, the white men all laugh and ignore him as he quotes, verbatim, large sections of Booker T. Washington’s Atlanta Exposition Address. Amid the amused, drunken requests that he repeats the phrase “social responsibility,” the narrator accidentally says “social equality.” The white men angrily demand that he explain himself. He responds that he made a mistake, and finishes his speech to uproarious applause. The men award him a calfskin briefcase and instruct him to cherish it, telling him that one day its contents will help determine the fate of his people. Inside, to his utter joy, the narrator finds a scholarship to the state college for black youth. His happiness doesn’t diminish when he later discovers that the gold coins from the electrified rug are actually worthless brass tokens.
That night, the narrator has a dream of going to a circus with his grandfather, who refuses to laugh at the clowns. His grandfather instructs him to open the briefcase. Inside the narrator finds an official envelope with a state seal. He opens it only to find another envelope, itself containing another envelope. The last one contains an engraved document reading: “To Whom It May Concern . . . Keep This Nig ger-Boy Running.” The narrator wakes with his grandfather’s laughter ringing in his ears.
Hey !!
CHAPTER - 1 ''THE STRANGE MAN'S ARRIVAL''
The stranger at Iping
The story began with a stranger arriving at the Bramblehurst railway station. It was February and the snowstorm was at its fury. He was wrapped from head to toe with only his shiny pink nose in the view. He was also wearing blue spectacles with sidelights. He entered into the '''Coach and Horses'' and asked for a room.
An Unusual Time for the Visit
It was nail biting cold. In Iping and the appearance of a guest in the winter season was something unheard of Mrs. Hall, the owner of the inn, was delighted to have a guest at this time of the year, she made him some supper and went to his room. Though the fire was on, the man still persisted in keeping himself covered. Mrs Hall asked him to take the coat and the hat off, but he refused Later, when she went to serve him lunch, he was still standing at the window, all covered up.
The Strange Appearance of the Visitor
The next time Mrs Hall saw the stranger, he had his over-coat and hat removed. She met a ghastly sight that made her heart skip a beat. The stranger's forehead above his blue glasses was covered by white bandage, and that another covered his ears, His hair escaping through the bandages looked like tails and horns, giving him the most unimaginable appearance.
The Stranger Finally Talks
Mrs Hall perceived that probably the visitor had a very bad accident and that had disfigured his face. She felt sorry for him. The next time went to clear his lunch, the stranger finally talked to her. He asked if the luggage could be brought from the station that very day. Mrs Hall replied in negative. Mrs Hall initiated further conversation, but then he abruptly told her to bring some matches. She found his behaviour quite rude, but realising the sovereigns that he had given, she went to get the matches for him. The visitor spent the night in the loneliness without making much audible noise.