"Invisibility" in Native Son

Invisibility has already become a key topic in Invisible Man. The reason for the Narrator's invisibility, and the Narrators understanding of his place in society as an invisible man, are the key questions that the book seeks to answer. Native Son, however, has no mention of invisibility. In fact, it seems to seek to be as visible as possible. Bigger is constantly under the microscope while he's in the white neighborhoods. He is also aware of this, and he, almost instinctively, tries to be as invisible as possible. He wonders if every action will make him more seen by the whites, or less. After the murder, while he is being interrogated by Britten, Bigger seems to realize that he has the ability to make himself somewhat invisible. The shock of this murder, combined with his previous bias, clouds the judgement of Britten and Mr. Dalton. Bigger is able to redirect the spotlight onto Jan. This "power" goes to Bigger's head. He convinces himself that he is a stone cold killer, and that he had meant to kill Mary. But Bigger is deceiving himself. The white net, armed with hundreds of police officers, and thousands of vigilantes, is closing in on him, and no amount of invisibility will hide him. So what is the difference, between Bigger, who is crushed by the system, and the Narrator, who slips through the cracks? Why doesn't Monopolated Power and Light crush the Narrator? Could the Narrator get caught, or does his invisibility run so deep that he can get away with anything.

Comments

  1. Curtis AlthausSeptember 4, 2019 at 7:54 AM

    Do you think that the way the papers portrayed Bigger was a form of invisibility? It seemed that the mob was out to get the "Black Guy who Raped and Killed the Rich White Girl" which in and of itself is a form of invisibility. Until the trial at the end, Bigger and most everyone around him assumed the worst of Bigger's situation without considering the circumstances leading up to the murder.

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  2. CollinSeptember 14, 2019 at 11:34 AM

    I think the difference is that the narrator in Invisible Man is able to utilize his "invisibility" while Bigger can only use others' perspectives of him to his advantage. Invisible Man seems to focus much more on individuality and how invisibility refers to how people don't view you as an individual as opposed to your true identity. However, in Native Son, there seems to be an emphasis on how people view Bigger as a "black man" or just a part of the collective race. The narrator in Invisible Man is able to hide behind the identity of "black people" while Bigger hides behind the identity of a "black man"

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  3. Geoffrey DingSeptember 14, 2019 at 2:29 PM

    I think that comparing between Bigger and the Narrator is really interesting. I completely agree that both have some invisibility aspect to them. I think Bigger thinks himself as an invisible man where nothing he does will change the fact that he is black and that society will find a way to punish him and judge him. I think our narrator hides behind the fact that he is black and that if he becomes hidden with the people that his actions won't make an effect on him.

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  4. HenrySeptember 17, 2019 at 6:14 AM

    Do you think Jan and Mary are "invisible" to Bigger? I think the scene where Bigger meets Mr. Dalton as well as the scene in the car are good examples of this. Bigger has very set ideas of the way black and white people are supposed to interact, and as a result he gets wigged out when Mary is different from that.

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