College Life in Black and White

What I noticed the most in these past two chapters was Ralph Ellison's use of colors to describe almost everything. Except for birds, everything was either white, black, or brown. "White building, dark windows, white line..." The importance of the colors in descriptions lies on Ellison's use of them to show the reader what he wants them to get out of the book. Invisible Man is about the colors. The distinction that he makes between the colors of each thing proves that the color was of importance when describing people too. Ellison specifies the color of stuff, showing that if there is a difference between a white house and a black house, there is also a difference between a black man and a white man. Within the story, it is important for the reader to know who is black and who is white, because clearly they were not worth the same in the society.

The narrator, being a black, has strong feelings about his place in this society, and puts himself in a lower position than whites. He feels fear when he thinks he is falling behind the standards, and he is disgusted by those of his same race who treat whites as equal. When first meeting Mr. Norton, the narrator faked his knowledge of his position in the school, just to "flatter a rich white folk." (38) Knowing Mr. Norton could give him a tip or even a scholarship, the narrator was willing to get rid of his dignity and fake a praise.

I have also noticed the importance of dreams within the novel. In the first couple of chapters, two dreams have been of great importance. First, the narrator had a dream in which he was with his grandfather at a circus, and he refused to laugh at the clowns. He opened a letter from his grandfather that said "To Whom It May Concern, Keep This Nigger-Boy Running." (33) The second one is Jim Trueblood's dream that he had before sleeping with his wife and daughter. He had been looking for his friend on a hill, he walked through the door because no one answered, then was scared to find a white woman looking down at him. He tried to run out, frightened of what the woman might do. These dreams definitely are important for Ellison, and dreams will be an important part of the story.

Mr. Norton and the narrator have trouble when they try to look for alcohol and can only find the Golden Day. However, the day is everything but golden, as Mr. Norton nearly dies and Supercargo is kicked unconscious. The narrator is fearful of the consequences it can bring to his life in school, even though it was Mr. Norton the one who said he was a part of his destiny. People in Golden Day are crazy (literally), but they might as well represent the sane population, as some despise the white man, others fear him, and others praise him. The same happens with the blacks outside. It is only a matter of time before the blacks decide they want to be treated equally.