The chapters summarize the narrator's continued involvement with the Brotherhood and growing identity issues. He moves into the Brotherhood house as his speech is successful but not fully supported. Fights break out between members as the narrator's public role grows. An anonymous letter warns him that success may lead to being "cut down" and investigated for personal gain, threatening his new identity. Throughout, the narrator struggles with balancing his roots against transforming based on others' preferences.

1. INVISIBLE MAN CH. 15-18
Gilbert Walker
Eriza Lascano
Brittney Bautista

2. PLOT SUMMARY• Ch. 15
• The narrator had agreed to the Brotherhood‟s proposal. Its it last day at Mary‟s house
before moving into the Brotherhood, and he has a big confusion early that day, as he
tries to get rid of the piggy bank
• Ch. 16
• His first rally in Harlem. His speech was successfully in the eyes of the audience, but not in
the eyes‟ of the Brotherhood.
• Ch. 17
• The narrator stumble upon an intense fight between Ras and Clifton, which had to be
stop with the help of the Brotherhood members. The narrator‟s new name has become
well-known in society.
• Ch. 18
• The narrator receives an anonymous letter reminding him of his roots. Not long after
reaching his success with the Brotherhood, the narrator is accused if using the
Brotherhood for his own personal benefit. The narrator is then being investigated.

3. THEME
• Change and Transformation
• Brotherhood Ideology
• Transforming an individual based on other people‟s preferences.
• Narrator‟s New house and New identity

4. CAN NEVER ABANDON YOUR
ROOTS
• Narration
• Ch. 15
• The narrator tries to get rid of the shattered piggy bank, but it ended back in his
possession.
• The piggy bank represents his roots.
• Description
• “…becoming aware that there were two of me: the old self that slept a few hours a night
and dreamed sometimes of my grandfather and Bledsoe and Brockway and Mary, the
self that flew without wings and plunged from great heights; and the new public self that
spoke for the Brotherhood and was becoming so much more important than the other
than I seemed to run a foot race against myself.” (pg.380)
• Ch. 18
• “This is an advice from a friend who have been watching you closely. Do not go to fast.
Keep working for the people but remember that you are one of us and do not forget if
you get too big they will cut you down. You are from the South and you know that this is a
white man’s world. So take a friendly advice and go easy so that you can keep on
helping the colored people. They do not want you to go to fast and will cut you down of
you do. Be smart…” (Pg. 383)
• Physical manifestation

5. ALLUSION OF EXISTENTIALISM
• Time period of the book dates to the end of World War II.
• Existentialism was very influential.
• “Going through the motions.”
• Chapter 15
• “I felt strangely lonely. Even the people who stood around me at intersection
seemed isolated, each lost in his own thoughts.” (Pg. 329)
• Ellison doesn‟t state the narrator‟s name

6. PATHOS
• First-person point of view
• “I‟m-sick-and-tired-of-the-way-they‟ve-been-treating-us approach… „Yes, we‟re the
uncommon people-and I‟ll tell you why. They call us dumb and they treat us dumb.
And what do they do with dumb ones?‟” (pg. 342)
• “„I feel, I feel suddenly that I have become more human. Do you understand? More
human. Not that I have become a man, for I was born a man. But that I am more
human. I feel strong, I feel able to get things done!‟” (pg. 346)