Chapter 5

Ked Whitmore

Chapter 5 details the events taking place at chapel. The Reverend Homer A. Barbee gives a speech concerning the life of the Founder. Here we see the first stirrings of rebellion from the narrator. He says that each song sung in chapel was an "ultimatum, accepted and ritualized, an allegiance recited for the peace it imparted" (111). He talks about the song that a choir girl sings, sweet, ethereal and vague. This parallels his view on religion; he finds it similarly nebulous.

It is also here that more of Dr. Bledsoe's personality is revealed. It is shown that he is two-faced; on the one hand, he is polite, cordial, and humble towards the white trustees. But when he turns his eyes on his students and faculty, they see "his swift glance carrying a threat for all" (115). He is subservient to the white guests out of necessity but exerts his authority brutally over all of the blacks at the school.

Barbee then begins his speech on the Founder and his flight, his speeches, his illness, and finally his death. He ends his speech by talking about how well everything has come along, both in terms of the school and the black community itself. In great detail he describes the beauty of the campus. As a final twist of irony, however, Barbee's glasses fall off as he makes his way to his seat. This blindness is metaphorical as well as physical; Barbee cannot see that the blacks are still oppressed and have not made the gains that he thinks they have. Adding to this theme is a line about the statue of the Founder and "the eternally kneeling slave" (134). This reinforces the theme of blacks' not being truly free.

The chapter ends with the protagonist still worrying about his punishment from Dr. Bledsoe.

Motifs/Symbols

Blindness - Barbee is blind, physically and metaphorically
Allusion - Barbee's first name is Homer, and he is blind like the Greek writer
Technology - Train the Founder dies on and the "black machinery" that Barbee talks about
Hands - Barbee claps his hands to emphasize the sickness and strength of the Founder
Violence - Violence of the Founder's being attacked and carrying a shotgun
Whiteness - White trustees and speakers
Lights - As the protagonist walks home, he notices streetlamps
Animals - Mockingbird on statue

Themes

Humility
Rebirth/Death
Violence
Power
Invisibility
Running
Blindness

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