Tranquil Treachery

I just realized that after 150 pages of reading I don’t know the name of the main character. Of course, this makes sense, seeing as the protagonist is considered to be “invisible”, but this occurrence is also similar to similar memoir, “The Autobiography of the Ex-Colored Man” by James Weldon Johnson which was published in 1912. The fictional novel basically tells the story of a biracial character who struggles to find his place in society. He is finds that he is either “too black” to be white, and “too white” to be black leading to feelings of displacement and not belonging. In the same way the character of “Invisible Man” walks a thin line between passive “treachery” in which he is composed and respectful in the white society or insurgence towards the injustice placed on him.
A comparison between the veteran physician character and Dr. Bledsoe helps to define these concepts. The vet states that Norton thinks of the protagonist as nothing but a “mark on the scorecard of your achievement” and that the protagonist looks at Norton as “a God, a force”. He reveals that the relationship between “white and black” does not appear to have changed much from the master-slave relationships of 85 years ago. One the other hand, Dr. Bledsoe, who appears to portrays himself as inferior to the Founders, in actuality, believes that it is his responsibility and right to carry on this lie of humility to get what he wants. He says,” The white folk tell everybody what to think—except men like me. I tell them; that’s my life, telling white folk how to think about the things I know about.” In other words, he acts a certain role in order to gain status and power. This concept of acting inferior to gain superiority is conflicting to the ideal of the vet which is to publically break loose from discrimination.