The novel Invisible Man, which was written by Ralph Ellison, deals largely with racism and the effects that it has on the society surrounding it. The limitations of society are shown through the actions of the characters in the novel. The narrator, being the main character faces many obstacles having to do with racism but he wants to break free of the shackles held by society and the stereotypes that come with being a black man.
The scene of Trueblood’s cabin comes about while the narrator is reminiscing on his time back in college. He begins by remembering the bronze statue of his school’s founder, who happened to be a black man. He describes the statue as a cold Father symbol, either taking the veil off of a kneeling slave-or putting it…show more content… When asked where to drive the narrator was told to drive wherever he pleased. Once off the school grounds the narrator turned down an unfamiliar road and drove about a mile, along the way learning about the founder. He learned of Mr. Norton’s daughter who had passed and that everything that Norton had been doing was in remembrance of her life.
While driving they passed a log cabin, which Mr. Norton was surprised to see- but the narrator knew everything about. They had reached the cabin of Jim Trueblood, a sharecropper who had disgraced the entire black community. Previously, people from the town thought that Trueblood was a quality man, and father. After Norton pressed the narrator for more information he finally was told the story of Trueblood.
Trueblood impregnated not only his wife, but also his own daughter. Mr. Norton had a fascination with Trueblood’s story in such a way that may have been seen as suspicious to some. He then listens to Trueblood tell the story about a dream that he had where he had awoken and found himself having sex with his own daughter, while lying next to his wife. Trueblood’s wife woke up during the sexual encounter and was so disturbed by it that she got a shotgun and threatened to kill him. In the encounter Trueblood ended up getting hit in the face with an axe. Before leaving Norton gives Trueblood $100 to buy toys for his