How Does Dr. Bledsoe Create Tension In The Invisible Man

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Reginald Pratt 10/9/2014 Invisible Man By: Ralph Ellison Section- I (5-10) This section begins with the narrator attending a chapel service in Chapter 5. Before he is summarily dismissed from the school by Dr. Bledsoe, the narrator attends chapel at his suggestion. The sermon by the Reverend Homer A. Barbee is filled with pomposity and manipulation. Following the sermon, the narrator is stunned when Dr. Bledsoe expelled him with an unmercifully sharp tongue. He berates the narrator and explains to him that he will destroy him before he relinquishes his hold on power. The narrator is angry, but he accepts the expulsion. He is too ashamed to return home and becomes determined to strive for future success. He even feels slightly grateful that he learned his lesson early enough to benefit from it later in life. He is further pleased that Dr. Bledsoe offers him letters of introduction to help him rebuild on stable ground. He decides to take a bus and travel to New York. His hope is that he will find ample…show more content…
Emerson’s son. The interview starts well but it does not end well, especially when Mr. Emerson reveals the content of Dr. Bledsoe’s letter. Rather than encourage employers to hire the narrator, Bledsoe insisted that they refuse to do so. Of course, the narrator feels angry and devastated by what Mr. Emerson tells him because he feels betrayed and foolish. Nonetheless, he continues to seek employment. This time, he goes to a paint factory uses Mr. Emerson as a reference to get a job. He is hired and instructed on how to perform the job by mixing the paint and chemicals properly. Unfortunately the narrator makes a mistake and ruins a batch he is sent to work in the boiler room where he meets Brockway. Their relationship is initially productive until the narrator mentions his knowledge of the local union. This infuriates Brockway and they argue. Their fight ensues leading to an explosion at the factory, where the narrator is
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