I listened to this song by Louis Armstrong three times in a row, putting myself into the position of the narrator of Invisible Man (except I wasn't stoned, living under a building, or lightened with 1,369 lightbulbs). I must admit that my earliest reaction to the narrator's persistence in deeming himself invisible irritated me, but the manner in which he formed his words to describe his current state of mind overcame that small annoyance and I attentively continued on. As each succeeding page was turned, my admiration for him increased.
The many "I'm an invisible mans" caused the idea to never leave my thoughts, consequently allowing me to form many connections of invisibility within the prologue. Yes, he feels invisible and beats a man to gain a sense of individuality and to overcome the dehumanization he feels, he feels invisible and uses a slew of lightbulbs to emphasize his existence, and he feels invisible and keeps his identity a secret to us, the readers, and also the electrical company. But, the connection that I instinctually was delighted by was that of his listening to Armstrong. The jazz music discussed parallels the narrator's odyssey in which he yearns for his identity and the knowledge of his individualism. "(What Did I Do to be so) Black and Blue",the song the narrator listens to, directly discusses the issue of racism, commenting on the daily inconveniences faced by blacks in a white dominated society. In lyrics like "I'm white...inside...but, that don't help my case ’cause I...can't hide...what is in my face" the consistent battle between inner feelings and emotions of frustration with the outer identity society forces upon blacks is recognized.
Armstrong made a name for himself, transforming jazz music from a collaborative ensemble of music to an individualized, and expressive solo act. He refused to remain an "invisible man", openly writing of racism, individual expression, and the troubles connected to each, exactly what the novel is centralized on.
Your insight seems very personal in the sense that you have already formed an opinion of the protagonist within the prologue of the book. Although the narrator in the prologue is the narrator at his most mature character, it is hard for me to form an articulate opinion of "the Invisible Man" without knowing where he is coming from so to say. Nevertheless, I appreciate the connection you made to the novel and the jazz music of Louis Armstrong.
ReplyDeleteI honestly do not really see the connection between Louis Armstrong and the novel or its theme of "A Invisible Man", but then again there are many different points of view. I agree with Sasan's point of view though.
ReplyDelete-Vaness C.
This song haddock a deep meaning within true book Invisible Man and Loius Armstrong really did make a name for himself with this song. I believe that is was a perfect choice for the prologue of this book.
ReplyDeleteThat question of identity and the search for individuality pervades Native Son, as well, though Bigger Thomas is anything but invisible by the end. To see these emotions portrayed so visibly in litereature - and in music - makes us truly realize something we may have taken for granted before: the happy fact that things have changed. The timeframe of the pieces we've looked at were so dark for so many people, but I didn't realize how much so until now. It is important that we continue to study those books so that we don't forget how blessed we are, but also so that our societies do fall into those patterns and make the same mistakes again.
ReplyDeleteRichard Wright and Ralph Ellison both realized that the isssues they dealt extended further than just the plight of the "negroes". Bigger and the Invisible Man, Louis Armstrong and many more, had to deal with values at the very heart of America. And so still today, can we learn something valuable from what they had to say.
Tori Greaves
I'm impressed by the fact that you took personal time to allow yourself to see through the eyes of the narrator. Although I am not reading "Invisible Man" the point you are making with this passage is still very clear. Just as Tori said in the post above mine, many people of color had to struggle through so many obstacles in the early period of America's history and that struggle can be seen through these novels, written in this time period, and also through music such as Armstrong's. I believe that we as a people collectively benefit from these messages still today and they allow us to move forward by learning from our past, which you have done by allowing yourself to be placed in both Armstrong's and the Invisible Man's shoes.
ReplyDeleteChristian Dade
Bailey, I like that you chose to look further into this song because I had it on my mind also as I was reading the novel. This choice of song adds to his sense of feeling literally invisible, unseen by others, either white or black, in the Prologue. What I thought was interesting was that by the Epilogue his meaning of invisibility had switched from literal to figurative as he has realized that inside he is his own individual person and that as long as he knows it's there, it doesn't matter if others choose to see it or not. By the end he seems to have found what the lyrics of the song suggest he was yearning for.
ReplyDelete-Elise P.
Bailey, I like that you chose to look into the song because I was curious about it as well while I was reading the novel. The song uses issues of race to suggest invisibility, which the speaker feels literally at the beginning of the novel. However, by the epilogue he realizes he has his own individual character and worth, and decides he doesn't care if people don't see the real him, as long as he knows it's there. It doesn't solve the problems presented in the song, but it helps him deal with and understand them.
ReplyDelete-Elise
One of my favorite aspects of the book was Ellis's musical writing style. It is unlike any novel I have ever read in that respect and the actual use of the Armstrong lyrics made the effect all the more powerful. It allows for a new way to incorporate symbolism into the novel, such as what you pointed out as the "parallels the narrator's odyssey in which he yearns for his identity and the knowledge of his individualism" Ellis's musical training really comes through due to this and his writing style allows to the reader to get a feel of what the culture was like during the time period.
ReplyDelete-Bobby R
I really can't make a connection either between the song and the meaning of the novel's theme "Invisible Man" , I guess we all see things in a different way, However, you did a great job on explaining the connection.
ReplyDelete-Kaylee H.