Student Question
What is the significance of music in the Prologue of Invisible Man?
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In the Prologue of Invisible Man, music, particularly jazz, symbolizes the narrator's quest for identity within a racially prejudiced society. Jazz, known for its improvisation and African-American roots, mirrors the protagonist's struggle for individuality. Louis Armstrong's "(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue," a song addressing racism, highlights this theme. Ellison uses jazz to parallel the black struggle against imposed identities, enhancing the novel's exploration of visibility and self-discovery.
The jazz music that the anonymous narrator spends all of his time listening to is deliberately included because it is another way that the author shows the protagonist is struggling to identify who he is. Jazz is a form of music that depends on improvisation and spontaneity. As it is a form of music that was birthed among African-American musicians, it has been used as an excellent metaphor for the battle for difference in the society of the United States. The constant listening to jazz music highlights one of the central themes of this novel, which is of course the quest for an identity. It is important, too, that Armstrong is mentioned as one of the artists that the protagonist listens too, as he is recognised as being responsible for revolutionising the jazz medium into something that was profoundly individual, as a soloist led the rest of the band and...
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improvised, and the rest of the band had to play along to the tune of the soloist.
It is also significant that Armstrong's song, "(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue" is listened to. This links to the novel as well as it was one of the first jazz songs that began to broach the issue of racism. The lyrics of this song focus on the conflict between the identity that society imposes on the singer and his own inner feelings. Lyrics that the narrator listens to in this novel are when the singer says he feels "white inside," and that "my only sin / is in my skin." Inclusion of this track into Ellison's novel supports the central theme of the search for an identity in a society that forces you to accept the identity that it has constructed for you.
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What is the importance of music in Invisible Man?
In Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, the author explores stereotypes and prejudices in America from the early to mid-twentieth century. This novel of self-discovery presents an unnamed black man serving as a narrator. He seeks to learn where he fits into contemporary society while searching for the American dream. From the outset of the novel, the narrator tells the reader:
“I am an invisible man . . . I am invisible . . . simply because people refuse to see me.”
The narrator recognizes that he exists in a subservient role from which he must escape if he is ever to understand what it means to be a black man in America. He knows there are obstacles in his way that he must overcome. As the protagonist begins his quest, Ellison cleverly uses metaphorical musical references to parallel the black struggle for individuality and against racism in America with certain music genres.
For example, jazz is a musical style developed largely from blues and primarily by African-American musicians. One of the most significant elements of the genre is improvisation. It is a style that absorbs elements of other genres and finds a way to become individualized. This type of music provides a perfect background for the novel since it mirrors the protagonist’s quest for his individuality. He must ingest the realities of the American society of his day before he can create a unique plan for navigating through society’s discriminatory stereotypes. This is possible only by developing his individual talents.
In the Prologue to Invisible Man, the protagonist is convinced he has the talent to succeed. He likens himself to some of the great minds that have come before him and maintains a positive outlook on life:
“Though invisible, I am in the great American tradition of tinkers. That makes me kin to Ford, Edison and Franklin. Call me, since I have a theory and a concept, a ‘thinker-tinker.’ Yes, I'll warm my shoes; they need it, they're usually full of holes. I'll do that and more.”
Of course, the narrator has not yet completed his quest so he must still face his obstacles. It is interesting that the author chooses the jazz sound of Louis Armstrong to be the narrator’s focus as he envisions his future:
“I'd like to hear five recordings of Louis Armstrong playing and singing "What Did I Do to Be so Black and Blue" -- all at the same time . . . Perhaps I like Louis Armstrong because he's made poetry out of being invisible. I think it must be because he's unaware that he is invisible. And my own grasp of invisibility aids me to understand his music.”
This scene is especially powerful because the narrator’s selection of that Armstrong classic is an early example of the societal exposure to and condemnation of racism bestowed upon the public via the genres of blues and jazz.
Ellison does not comment directly on the meanings of the songs threaded through the novel, but the music does help to reinforce the feelings of racial tension central to the story. By studying the selected background music in Invisible Man, the reader develops great insight into the black struggle for individuality expressed in this classic and the protagonist’s transformation to visibility.
Ellison is such a fanatic of jazz music and literature that, according to his bio, when he read "The Waste Land" he became extremely impressed at how TS Elliot was able to use music as language within text.
So, Ellison did the same when he wrote Invisible Man. He would use jazz language, that is, jargon and description often found on jazz songs and music to bring out metaphores and similes and to expand his figurative language in a way that is comfortable for him as a lover of music and words.
Some of the similes you can find are in his descriptions of American symbols using phrases taken from jazz songs.
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