Chapter 16

Chapter Summary
TIM is led to an old boxing arena by Brother Jack and a few other important Brotherhood members. They inform him that he is to give a speech, and while he is waiting he decides to go outside to take a walk. During his excursion he sees a huge hole where an old sports arena used to be, and later he also observes three white policemen sitting on top of three black horses. When he returns to the arena, TIM speaks to the crowd by successfully playing on their emotions, especially about their being dispossessed both in the physical and mental sense. The crowd reacts very positively to his speech, and he ends the chapter with a inspired drive to continue with his new lifestyle.

Characters:
Brother Jack: Main leader in the Brotherhood who encourages TIM to speak and rallies the crowd into action.

Brother Westrum: Member of the Brotherhood who is angry with TIM after his speech. He is not pleased that TIM uses unsophisticated means to rally the crowd into action rather than intellectual ones.

Brother Hambro: A figure who is alluded to in the chapter but not actually introduced. TIM is told that Brother Hambro will train him in the near future.

Audience: Significant because by the end of the chapter, it is TIM's new goal to appease and serve the audience to the best of his ability.

Symbols:
TIM's New Suit: This suit is a symbol of TIM's new identity.

Hole Of Old Sports Arena: A symbol of loneliness and possibly a symbol of what TIM fears his life could be like.

White Policemen On Black Horses: This image symbolizes blacks being dominated by white men. When a black horse attempts to revolt violently, it is quickly yanked back by the white policeman.

Bull Terrier Named Master: A dog that TIM remembers from his childhood. He feels he cannot trust its responses because it barks the same way whether it approves or disapproves. In the same way, TIM feels that he cannot trust the audience and Brother Jack.

Photo of a Boxer: While waiting to speak at the arena, TIM sees a photo of a boxer who was forced to fight in a crooked fight and became blind as a result. Later, TIM speaks in the same ring that the boxer had fought in. He too leaves the ring blinded although his blindness results from the spotlight. The boxer’s experience in the ring is a microcosm of TIM’s involvement with the Brotherhood. He is not aware of the Brotherhood’s true intentions, and therefore TIM does not realize that he is being used by the Brotherhood.

Motifs:
The Union/Brotherhood motif is a main focus for the chapter.

The animal motif is displayed with Master, the bull terrier.

Invisible Man displays the motif of humility when he humbles himself to the audience.

Setting:
The chapter is set in an old boxing arena in Harlem, and the time period is during the Harlem Renaissance. It is significant in that it represents TIM's new identity, as it is completely void of any qualities of his old college campus in the South.

Thematic Elements:
Blindness: During his speech TIM refers to his race as being blinded by whites and as only having one (metaphorical) eye. TIM also mentions that because his perception of society had been broadened significantly after his migration to New York, he feels as though he has had his blinders taken off.

Rebirth: His migration has inspired a new person to emerge from TIM almost as though he is emerging from an old shell.

Real Vs. Unreal: TIM has a new name and a new personality. He mentions that if a person from his former school were to see him today, that person would probably not even recognize him. This identity is real to the people whom he knows in Harlem but not to those who he knows from college. He wonders if he exists only in the perceptions of those around him.

Quotations:
"The new suit imparted a newness to me.... It was a newness too subtle to put into thought, but there it was. I was becoming someone else" (335): a theme of rebirth is expressed through this, as TIM is experiencing a new beginning for himself. He is separating himself from his old experiences such as his college and the Battle Royal.

"The audience was mixed, their claims broader than just race....If they could take a chance with me, then I'd do the very best that I could. How else would I save myself from disintegration?" (353): TIM's humility is explained as it shows how he is constantly wrestling with finding a suitable identity for himself. He fears that he will never find a group of people that he truly belongs to.

"I bent forward, suddenly conscious of my legs....But how do you know they're your legs? What's your name?" (334): TIM is toying with the question of reality vs. the unreal. He realizes that he has a new identity and even a new name. He questions whether or not people believing in his new identity makes it real when he knows that it is false. Does his true identity actually exist in the perceptions of the people around him?