How the Narrator Currently Compares to Bigger Thomas

When we first started reading Invisible Man, I thought that the Narrator was more of a “rule-follower” than Bigger Thomas. I still think this, but I think the Narrator is less of a “rule-follower” than he was before and is more like Bigger Thomas but in a more hidden way. 

Bigger Thomas was very erratic and liked to do exactly what he was not supposed to do, like murdering Mary. At the beginning of Invisible Man, the Narrator did everything he thought he was supposed to do, like sucking up to people in power, specifically white people. Now, the Narrator has joined an anti-racism group and speaks in front of huge crowds about exactly what white people of this time are afraid of' black people being equal to white people. 

At the end of Chapter 22, we read about the Narrator deciding to undermine leaders of the Brotherhood by making them think he is doing what the Brotherhood wants him to do when he is really trying to take the Brotherhood down. This is similar to after Bigger murders Mary and he acts toward the Dalton family as if nothing has happened so that they won’t suspect him. The Narrator is secretly standing up to people in power much like Bigger did. 

The main difference that still remains between the Narrator and Bigger Thomas is that Bigger is undermining people for bad reasons that include murder. The Narrator is trying to undermine people for a better reason which is that the Brotherhood is too controlling and corrupt. The Narrator has found out that the Brotherhood does not want him to think freely, so he wishes to take down the Brotherhood and lead the people of Harlem the way he believes is correct. Even though the Narrator is doing something that people might see as manipulative, he is actually doing something for the benefit of Harlem and the future relationship between black and white people. Bigger Thomas was undermining people for his own benefit to hide the horrible thing he did. 

The Narrator Then vs Now

At the beginning of the book, after the prologue, the narrator was very focused on succeeding. He wanted to finish college and become another Dr. Bledsoe. Throughout the story that we’ve read so far, the narrator becomes less focused on pleasing people and more focused on doing what pleases himself. 

            While the narrator is driving around Mr. Norton, he does everything that Mr. Norton wants him to do, knowing he will get in trouble with Dr. Bledsoe, yet knowing that he didn’t really do anything wrong. When he gets back to the college, Dr. Bledsoe really yells at him and tells him that he has ruined the future of the college by showing those places to Mr. Norton, who gives the college money. While getting yelled at, the narrator knows he didn’t do anything wrong, yet is apologetic toward Dr. Bledsoe. When Dr. Bledsoe sends the narrator away to New York, the narrator is very hopeful that he will be able to make his return to college in the fall after working all summer. Now he only wishes to become Dr. Bledsoe’s assistant. 

            The narrator goes all around New York delivering letters of recommendation written by Dr. Bledsoe to important men hoping to get a job. After no success, he visits one last man, who shows him what the letter really says. Finding out that Dr. Bledsoe has no intentions of letting him return to college in the fall, regardless of how much he works. Hearing this is shocking for the narrator, and he can think of nothing but getting revenge on Dr. Bledsoe. Now, instead of working to return to college, he works to earn money to return to the college to kill Dr. Bledsoe. 

            The narrator begins working at Liberty Paints where he works with a man named Lucius Brockway. Mr. Brockway threatens to kill the narrator after thinking the narrator has joined a union. Instead of just allowing Mr. Brockway to yell at him this way like he did with Dr. Bledsoe, the narrator actually fights back. They get into a physical fight where the narrator ends up knocking out his dentures. Before, I believe that the narrator would have just allowed himself to be threatened, but now he is standing up for himself. The narrator begins the novel as a follower and now is becoming a leader.