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The Sambo Doll
When the narrator puts on the dark-lensed glasses, the citizens of Harlem immediately begin to mistake him for a man named Rinehart. The glasses are a sign of the unexpected fluidity of identity. For instance, after a few moments of wearing the glasses, the narrator finds himself acting differently, beginning the play the role of the man for whom he has been mistaken. The narrator finds it easier than he expected to inhabit a new role, a sign of the many unexplored possibilities that belong to every person. However, the glasses have their limits, as the narrator finds them crushed later during the Harlem riot.
The Dark-Lensed Glasses Quotes in Invisible Man
The Invisible Man quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Dark-Lensed Glasses. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 23
Quotes
His world was possibility and he knew it. He was years ahead of me and I was a fool…The world in which we lived was without boundaries. A vast seething, hot world of fluidity, and Rine the rascal was at home. Perhaps only Rine the rascal was at home in it.
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Dark-Lensed Glasses Symbol Timeline in Invisible Man
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Dark-Lensed Glasses appears in Invisible Man. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 23
...hail a cab, the narrator notices three men in suits, all of whom are wearing dark-lensed glasses . The narrator is suddenly struck with an idea. He runs into a drugstore and...
(full context)
Walking down the street in his new dark glasses , the narrator is approached by a beautiful woman. The woman has mistaken him for...
(full context)
Chapter 25
...a raid of Harlem’s armory. Seeing Ras, the narrator searches his brief case for his dark-lensed glasses , only to find that they’ve been crushed. Suddenly, the narrator finds himself trapped in...
(full context)
