Symbols
The Invisible Man
The “Optic White” paint from Liberty Paints
- The optic white paint is made from a gray/black mixture that is stirred and then appears to be white. This symbolizes the idea that African Americans are doing all the hard work to create the paint and making little money while the Whites are making all of the money.
The Sambo Doll
- The Sambo Doll is a flimsy, African American paper doll that is meant to portray how African Americans act. The doll appears to be dancing around, but it is really being pulled by strings. This represents the White American idea that African Americans are lazy and can be pushed around.
The Coin Bank
- The coin bank is modeled after an African American that looks excited to obtain the coins from a white person. When the narrator smashes the coin bank, he cannot get rid of the broken bank or the coins, so he carries it with him. This coin bank and its coins represent the struggle to escape the African American stereotypes and history even when the narrator tries to move forward with his life.
Brother Jack’s Glass Eye
- Brother Jack lost his eye in battle, so he has a glass eye. After Clifton was killed and the narrator put on his funeral, the Brotherhood was upset that the Narrator had touted Clifton even though he had been illegally selling Sambo dolls. All the Brotherhood cared about was the fact that Clifton was selling the dolls, not the fact that he had been killed. Brother Jack’s glass eye symbolizes the Brotherhood’s imperturbation of the racism towards African Americans in Harlem.
Rinehart
- Rinehart was known by many people in Harlem as many different thing: a gambler, a reverend, a drinker, and a violent man. When the narrator disguises himself with sunglasses and a hat, he is mistaken as Rinehart numerous times, and each time Rinehart appeared to have a different personality. Rinehart symbolizes the narrator’s realization that he could never really figure out who he was because he was always adopting the personality that was given to him by someone else.
The Narrator's Briefcase
- The Narrator’s briefcase holds his high school diploma, his Brotherhood identity, and the smashed coin bank with the coins. The briefcase represents the narrator’s journey of life and how he has changed throughout his graduation to the present. When the narrator throws the briefcase into the fire at the end of the book, it symbolizes that he must accept what has happened in the past in order to move on with his life.