Invisible Man: Chapter 17 Summary & Analysis

Four months later, Brother Jack calls up the narrator and takes him on a ride. The narrator is curious where they’re going, but doesn’t ask any questions. He wonders if something is happening at the Chthonian, but it turns out that Brother Jack is simply taking him to get a drink in Harlem. The go to a Spanish bar named El Toro.

Since the speech, the narrator has seen Brother Jack very infrequently. The narrator has been submerged in lessons from Brother Hambro, working harder than he ever has before. At nights, the narrator attends rallies and meetings, learning about the workings of the Brotherhood. Though he has been out of the public eye, the narrator is still recognized at meetings as a kind of hero.

Brother Jack asks the narrator how his lessons have gone. Jack tells him to master the Brotherhood’s ideology, but tells him not to “overdo it.” Jack tells him that it is important to find a balance between dry theory and words that inspire the public, and that theory always comes after practice. The narrator tells Jack that he will try to do what is required of him.

Brother Jack informs the narrator that he is to become the chief spokesman of the Harlem district the next day. He instructs the narrator to get the people of Harlem active in the movement of the Brotherhood. However, Jack also warns the narrator not to “underestimate the discipline” of the organization, letting him know that he is answerable to the entire Brotherhood.

Brother Jack decides to show the narrator the offices of the Harlem chapter of the Brotherhood, telling him that he has to see someone there. When they arrive they run into Brother Tarp, an older man with a limp who lives at the offices. Brother Tarp welcomes his new spokesman, telling the narrator that he admired his speech at the arena. Jack tells the narrator that Tarp is in the office anytime the narrator might need him.

The next day, the narrator arrives on time to his first meeting in the offices. Brother Jack is there as well, and notes that everyone is present except for Brother Tod Clifton. Brother Jack informs the members that the narrator is charged with increasing the membership of the chapter.

A tall, dark, and handsome man enters the meeting, and he is identified as Tod Clifton. Brother Jack asks why he is late, and Clifton replies that he had to see the doctor. Clifton has been injured in a clash with Ras the Exhorter’s men. Jack describes Ras as a “black nationalist” and tells Clifton to take care in dealing with him.

The meeting continues. The narrator suggests stepping up the Brotherhood’s fight against evictions. Clifton quickly agrees with the narrator. The narrator suggests that the Brotherhood reach out to community leaders in Harlem, as dispossession is not a partisan issue. It is assumed that the community leaders will have to fall in line to support a popular concern.

The narrator recalls that he saw Ras the Exhorter when he first came to Harlem, only that he didn’t yet know his name. The Brotherhood members tell him that Ras opposes cooperation between blacks and whites. Brother Jack warns Clifton that the Brotherhood is strictly against violence.

Brother Jack departs, and the narrator examines the Brotherhood members at his disposal. He can’t quite place any of them as a “type.” Initially, he is worried that Clifton will resent the narrator’s leadership role, but quickly finds that Clifton is friendly and cooperative. Clifton tells the narrator how to deal with hecklers, and lets him know that their strategy will be “bigger than anything since Garvey.”

Later, the narrator is speaking on the street at the top of a ladder. A crowd has gathered to listen to his speech. As the narrator speaks, Clifton catches his eye, pointing out that Ras the Exhorter and his men have begun to infiltrate the crowd. A fight breaks out, and Clifton asks the narrator if he can use his fists.

In the chaos of the fight, streetlights are broken. Ras’ men and the Brotherhood fight in darkness. The narrator beats off an attacker. In the darkest area, the narrator finds Clifton and Ras fighting hand to hand. Ras pins Clifton and draws a knife to kill him. However, Ras decides that he can’t kill a fellow black man.

Ras tells Clifton that he shouldn’t work with whites, stating that they will only betray him in the end. The narrator attacks Ras from behind, hitting him with a pipe. Ras continues speaking to both men, exhorting them to stay true to their African roots and not to betray their people. Ras says that the Brotherhood’s money is unclean, and that they must be attracted to its white women. Last, he tells Clifton that he could have been a black king.

Ras continues his exhortation, but the narrator tells him that the Brotherhood will still be out making speeches on the street every night. Ras vows to fight them, telling them again that they’re betraying their race. Clifton strikes Ras, and Ras falls down as the two Brotherhood men run from the police sirens. Clifton tells the narrator that Ras is crazy, but also warns that he is very strong on the inside. Finally, Clifton remarks that “sometimes a man has to plunge outside history,” or else risk insanity.

The next day, the narrator arrives back at the Brotherhood offices. Brother Tarp comes into the narrator’s office and puts up a portrait of Frederick Douglass, asking the narrator simply to look at him once in a while. Through the day, the community leaders all fall in line with the Brotherhood. The narrator (under his new name) is quickly becoming quite famous, and he laughs when the head of Men’s House addresses him with respect.

A few Sundays later, the Brotherhood throws a parade to promote its role in the community, for which the narrator organizes a special drill team to perform. The narrator’s status continues to rise, as the Brotherhood goes out of their way to promote his name. Retrospectively, the narrator reflects that he loved his work during “those days of certainty.” During that time, he believed that his words had an almost magical power. Meanwhile, he has embraced the Brotherhood wholeheartedly, and he sees its teachings and ideals everywhere he goes.