When Dr. Bledsoe called the Narrator a N****r
One aspect of Invisible Man that I found really interesting was the way in which the n-word appeared in the text. The N-word has a long history and has had a huge variety of uses over time. I’d like to acknowledge that there is no way that I can discuss all of its uses and how everyone views the N-word. I wanted to discuss this more fully in a blog post because these topics can be difficult to discuss in class due to the demographics of the class.
Although used only a handful of tiems, the N-word has been employed throughout Invisible Man in almost every use of the word. It was used by the white people at the Battle Royal during the fight, in his dream about his Grandfather, several times by Dr. Bledsoe, and several times within the Narrator’s own narration. It was used in jokes and in the most viooently offesive and racist way. I found the instance with Dr. Bledsoe to be particularly interesting and, although we read that section a while ago, I have continued to think about it ever since.
The particular instance of the N-word that I wanted to discuss was when Bledsoe calls the Narrator the N-word. While reprimanding him for the situation with Mr. Norton, Bledsoe thinks that the Narrator is lying to him and says “Nigger, this isn't the time to lie. I'm no white man. Tell me the truth!” (Ellison 107). Our Narrator is stunned, thinking “it was as though he'd struck me. I stared across the desk thinking, He called me that . . .” (Ellison 107). This is the only instance in the book where the Narrator has any reaction to the use of the N-word.
I think that the reason that the Narrator reacts in the way that he does is that he is so blindsided. He lives in the south and encounters racist people all the time, thus when he is called the N-word three times at the Battle Royale he remains fairly unsurprised. Although this does not diminish the hurt that the N-word has, it’s noticeable how he doesn’t have such a surprised reaction. The N-word works differently when it is used by a Black person than with a non-Black person. In other instances, even in the other time that Bledsoe uses the N-word in the same passage, it’s used in an ironic way. Of course, we all know that the N-word can also be used as a form of comradery between Black people. However, in this instance, it inhabits neither of these spaces. Bledsoe uses the N-word with all of its most racist force at the Narrator.
I’ve thought more about the topic of my last blog post about whether or not Bledsoe is a sellout as it relates to this new topic. Examining this one incident has pushed me even farther into the “Bledsoe is a Sellout” camp. Bledsoe uses the N-word in one of the worst possible ways a Black person can. As a Black Man, he has experienced how much hurt and harm this word can wield. Yet he chose to call the Narrator a N****r. In this way, I think that Bledsoe is acting like a sellout. He usues this racist word in such a racist way agaisnt one of his own.
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. Random House, 1947.
I thought your post was really interesting and I agree that Bledsoe calling the narrator the N word was really shocking and disappointing. It really ties into when Bledsoe says something like he'd let every other black person suffer if it meant he succeeded. He's really not interested in helping his own community/race, just gaining power over other people.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the narrator might have been extra shocked that Bledsoe used that word because of how much he looked up to him. He saw Bledsoe as this pure and good mentor, fighting for justice, and him using that word completely ruined the narrator's view of his purpose.
ReplyDeleteThis book in general uses the N word a lot less than Native Son did as well, so all of the different instances really stand out. I do think the way that the narrator reacts to the use of it in different scenarios also tells you a lot about what it is doing in that particular instance, as you say.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator's reaction to Bledsoe using the word and directing it at him in this scene is indeed unique: in the previous chapter, he simply accepts it as part of the cultural landscape when a drunk white guy in the crowd uses it against him (and the other young men in the boxing ring). In fact, he's eager to finish the fight so he can give his speech to this same man (and his crowd), telling them about how important it is for him to be humble and to "know his place." The Bledsoe incident is quite different, and it genuinely shocks the narrator: it's as if he views Bledsoe at this point as a *real* authority whose opinion of him matters a lot, and he can't believe that his hero is literally deploying white-supremacist rhetoric against *him*. There's a lot to say about this scene, and how it fits into the "mask off" revelations of Bledsoe more generally (as if he's now telling the narrator how he "really feels"), but it's definitely an important moment when the narrator learns something about power and race and where he fits into the picture.
ReplyDeleteI think Bledsoe using such a historically oppressive word in a negative way towards the narrator shows what kind of person he really is, and how he views his success. One could argue that a lot of Bledsoe's power comes at the expense of other black people, such as the veteran at the bar. So clearly Bledsoe is used to putting other black people down, and calling the narrator the N word is yet another example of this.
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