How Does Ralph Ellison Use Abuse Of Power In Invisible Man

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People of power use cruelty as a tool to administer pain, implement fear, and guarantee servitude. While cruelty can involve physical action, it is usually more subtle, and often goes unnoticed by its victims until its purpose has been reached. In Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, cruelty is used to blind the black community, and manipulate their talents so as to ensure the powerful grip that the white community holds on America. In Invisible Man, social equality is a facade maintained by powerful (white) people to keep the black community in check. To “keep order,” the white people resort to cruelty, a pitiful reality that the narrator discovers on his journey to social prominence. Armed with an impressive talent in public speaking, the narrator …show more content…

The narrator admits that, during the battle, he “could no longer control [his] motions” (Ellison 22). This foreshadows a future conversation, when a veteran remarks to the narrator that “the white folks” are “the force that pulls your strings until you refuse to be pulled any more” (154). By using force, the white people initiated fear, and ensured that black people remain subordinates. In the battle royal, they degraded the black men, and created a situation in which the men had no leverage and were essentially dolls for the white men to control. Moreover, cruelty was used to hide intentions by masking the truth. Dr. Bledsoe, a leading figure in the African-American community, uses deception to maintain his power. Despite his skin color, he is no more sympathetic to blacks than other powerful white men. Bledsoe is power-hungry, saying that “after you win [power], you take the prize and you keep it” and that he’ll “have every Negro in the country hanging if it means staying where [he is]” (143). When Bledsoe expels the narrator from school, he sent him off with recommendation letters, under the pretense that they will help the narrator receive a job in New York. …show more content…

This cruel lie leads the narrator down a hopeless path, marking a victory for powerful people for they removed his potentially disruptive talents. White people also mask the truth at Liberty Paints, the factory that the narrator eventually stumbles upon. The company, whose claim to success is a white paint which can cover “a chunka coal,” (217) disregards and disrespects a major contributor to its success, Lucius Brockway. Brockway is subject to hatred throughout the company for his individuality, despite the expertise he brings to his vital job. Just as with the narrator, white people neglect the talents of Brockway, which allows them to remain without significant opposition. Additionally, the narrator’s speaking talents are used by the white people (in the Brotherhood) for their own benefit. This cruel trick goes unnoticed, until the moment of action, when the narrator realizes his public speaking has been used by Jack, the Brotherhood’s leader, to “turn [black] death and sorrow and defeat into propaganda” (558). Acts of cruelty –

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