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The Coin Bank
When Tod Clifton abandons the Brotherhood, the narrator rediscovers him selling racist Sambo dolls. The dolls’ writhing is a grotesque play on the stereotype of African sensuality, and the dolls represent the servility of black entertainers for white masters. However, the fact that Clifton, the former protector of the Brotherhood’s ideals, sells the dolls complicates the symbol, making their meaning ambiguous. In addition, Clifton controls the dolls with an invisible string, indicating that he may have more power than meets the eye. The dolls seem to be a rebuke to the good intentions of the Brotherhood, reminding the narrator that there are many things that exist outside the Brotherhood’s tightly controlled view of the world.
The Sambo Doll Quotes in Invisible Man
The Invisible Man quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Sambo Doll. 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 20
Quotes
Why did he choose to plunge into nothingness, into the void of faceless faces, of soundless voices, lying outside history?...But not quite, for actually it is only the known, the seen, the heard and only those events that the recorder regards as important that are put down, the lies his keepers keep their power by.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Sambo Doll Symbol Timeline in Invisible Man
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Sambo Doll appears in Invisible Man. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 20
At the center of the crowd the narrator sees a dancing doll of cardboard and tissue paper. The doll is designed to be a “Sambo,” a kind...
(full context)
...while his sales pitch continues. The narrator feels deeply betrayed, and spits on the Sambo doll.
(full context)
...boy. A policeman is coming to break up the show. Clifton picks up the Sambo dolls and tries to lead the crowd around the corner in order to continue the show....
(full context)
Looking at the doll, the narrator wonders how Clifton fell so far so quickly. He then recalls Clifton’s words...
(full context)
Chapter 21
The narrator examines the Sambo doll again and is filled with deep loathing. He wonders how the doll works, and quickly...
(full context)
Chapter 22
...the funeral was wrong because Clifton had betrayed the organization by deciding to sell Sambo dolls. The narrator replies that Clifton had many contradictions, but was not really a traitor. He...
(full context)
The narrator tries to explain to the committee that the Sambo dolls aren’t important, and that the black community in Harlem needs an opportunity to express their...
(full context)
Chapter 25
...Mary’s coin bank inside of it. He puts all of his papers, including Clifton’s Sambo doll, into the brief case.
(full context)
As the narrator searches through the basement, he burns Clifton’s Sambo doll for light. Next, he takes out the anonymous note and begins to burn it. As...
(full context)
