In chapter 10 of Invisible Man, we find ourselves plunged
alongside our narrator into the Liberty Paints factory, the proud producer of
the whitest paint found in America. Proud they are: the optic white is what
defines them, due to its absolute purity and the way that it shuts out any
other colors. It’s even purchased by the government to paint monuments! Their
white is the perfect white, and nothing is perfect until it is white: optic white.
Taking a step back, there’s no need to jump to conclusions when saying that
this optic white and its purity are metaphorical towards the white race. In
fact, Wright does pretty much everything he can to beat the dead horse of the “white
is right” metaphor.
We’re
plunged into this idea when we meet the white fanatic himself, the ‘Colonel,’
Kimbro. Kimbro treats the optic white paint like his pride and joy. He takes our
narrator to his first position, and tells him to take 10 drops of black liquid
and to mix it into the white paint. Our narrator is surprised to see that after
a bit of stirring, the black is completely gone! The perfect, powerful, optic
white has swallowed the black alive, consuming it. The narrator then gets his
turn adding the black liquid. He takes note that the black “settle[s] upon the
surface and become blacker still, spreading suddenly out to the edges.” What we
learn from this is that the black when put up against the white is put in a
stark contrast, and is pushed to the edge, almost like a white society
repelling a black people! Next, Kimbro returns, and begins to rave about his
one love, Optic White. He absolutely adores it! It’s the “purest white that can
be found,” and it’s headed straight for a national monument. What an achievement
this is for the white, the black liquid already forgotten for its integral role
in the construction and validity of the white paint.
Our
narrator then makes quite the mistake: he mixes the wrong black into the white!
Kimbro is furious, as, after all the wrong kind of black can spoil a batch. We
then see the narrator correct his mistake, but it’s still not perfect. As he
says, it has “a speck of dirt” on it, or “a gray tinge.” There’s definitely a
trace of black left in this white, but to Kimbro? It’s absolutely invisible. This
can be interpreted as one of the times where the idea of invisibility is
further pushed onto our narrator. First, we are given the idea that this
whiteness can surround a piece of coal, to the point where you can’t even tell
that it’s black on the inside. Then, for a very brief amount of time, we see
this idea that there can be a blackness inside of this white, not hidden to the
trained eye, the eye that is looking for this “invisible” blackness, but a
blackness that is unseen by the white onlooker.
Wow, that was really insightful, I think we discussed the part about the black liquid being mixed into the white paint and disappearing being a metaphor for being invisible, but I never realized the part about Kimbro not noticing the gray tinge being an extension of the metaphor.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you compared the fact that the narrator could see the grey streak to the invisibility that he is starting to see in himself. I had never thought about the fact that Kimbro couldn't see it in quite that way. The invisibility that the narrator is starting to realize is the way the streak is hidden from Kimbro's vision. Thank you for sharing this view on the chapter.
ReplyDeleteThat last point you make is really interesting. I'm not sure if Ellison means that white people try to make black people less culturally black and more white, like the coal. Or that they simply refuse to see black people as part of their society, that they are invisible. I think it's kind of ambiguous.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you were able to find such a subtle allusion to the idea of invisibility. While this passage isn't a total game changer, it is interesting to see all the little crumbs Ellison leaves for us to examine. There are so many small references to invisibility through out the book and you did a good job of fleshing this one out and pointing out it's specific nuances.
ReplyDeleteI really like your interpretation of the black liquid spreading out to the edges as blacks being pushed around by the white society, eventually consumed and invisible in the final product, the pure white paint that goes on national monuments, and this invisible "speck of dust" in the white paint is only visible to those who recognize themselves in it. Then Kimbro's claim that you can cover a piece of coal with the paint and you won't be able to see the blackness, perhaps that claim only applies to white people who can't see through the shallow layer of white paint.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post Jared! Adding on, I think that the speck of black on the white paint might refer to the game that the narrator is told about by Bledsoe and his grandfather. On the surface, act meek and subservient, but rebel on the inside. I think the black speck might be referring to the narrator's rebellion rising to the surface.
ReplyDeleteYou have a very electric writing style that accentuates the irony that is almost humorous in this chapter. I agree with Maggie that your comparison between the black in the white paint and the narrator's realization of his invisibility is particularly striking. The fact that before this chapter the narrator still follows the rules of The Game to the best of his ability, and afterwards he starts to go crazy further supports this idea. There is probably a lot more evidence in the book you could use to support this claim. There's also an allusion to white washing here, by covering the black coal in white paint until it is no longer black, that would be another interesting phenomenon to look at throughout the book.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good post! I think with your observations it's also interesting to think about how Ellison could be relating the paint factory to the idea that if a black person becomes "white" in their actions, they can become powerful. I think that having the paint be part of national monuments shows how it can be powerful and respected. So, I think going back to the piece of coal that is painted, it's interesting to think of the paint not only as something that uses the black dope and then hides it, like "a white society repelling a black people", but also as something that can elevate black people to power, but only by assimilating them to white culture and ideals.
ReplyDelete