Summary and Analysis

Summary

The narrator opens his morning mail in his Harlem Borough office and discovers an unsigned letter warning him to "Don't rush" and "This is a white man's world." Distraught, he turns to the Tarp brothers. Brother Tarp says he shouldn't worry about the letter and assures the narrator that he has plenty of support. The Tarp brothers tell the narrator about more than 19 years of imprisonment for daring to say "no" to a white man, and give the narrator the link of the chain he was forced to wear as a prisoner. Not sure what to think of the gift from Brother Tarp, but the narrator is honored by his gesture.

Brother Leslam soon enters and notices the chain link on the narrator's desk, suggesting it be removed so as not to dramatize the racial differences between black and white members of the Brotherhood. When the narrator contradicts his statement, Brother Lesslam warns him that there are people in the Brotherhood who are only interested in using the organization to their own advantage. Brother Reslam, noticing that he was getting the narrator's attention, informs him that Brother Todd Clifton punched a white man, unaware that he was part of the Brotherhood. He points out that wearing the Brotherhood emblem can prevent such incidents.

The narrator receives a call from a magazine asking for an interview. Partially defying Brotherless Ram, he agrees to conduct an interview. About two weeks later, the narrator is shocked to learn that Brother Reslam has filed charges against him, accusing him of being an opportunist. A disciplinary committee revokes the narrator's leadership role as Harlem Borough President and appoints her head of women's affairs. Angry and humiliated, the narrator leaves Harlem without saying goodbye to anyone.

In his first lecture, the narrator is seduced by a white woman who pretends to be intrigued by his speech, but is actually attracted to his "primitive" qualities. When the woman's husband enters them, the narrator is horrified that the man does not seem to care.

The next day, at a Brotherhood meeting, the narrator learns that Brother Todd Clifton is missing.

Analysis

Much of Ellison's novel deals with invisibility in and out. In Chapter 18, the narrator learns a lesson about visibility. When he receives his anonymous letter, he realizes the extent of his visibility. The author of the letter holds similar views with Southern whites, Bledsoe, and others. By becoming a prominent figure in his contribution to the Brotherhood's struggle for social equality, the narrator has gained power in his movement, but also puts himself in danger. Writers gain more power than narrators by remaining invisible. Later in the chapter, the narrator again learns about the dangers of visibility when Leslam accuses him of opportunism regarding a magazine interview - he protests the narrator's high status and public image.