Clifton's The Brotherhood

The Brotherhood promises the narrator the transcendence of race, but reveals the actual “best interest” of an institution, sacrificing the individual. The “best interest” of an institution, including The Brotherhood, means to sacrifice the individual and their interests, sometimes non-consensually, for the benefit of the greater plan. Disoriented, the narrator wanders the streets and almost collapses causing a woman called Mary to take him in. One night, as an elderly black couple face eviction, the narrator gives a speech that moves the crowd watching. Jack, one of the leaders of a socialist left-wing organization, The Brotherhood, witnesses the speech and recruits the narrator. Jack tells the narrator the goal of The Brotherhood: to transcend …show more content…
The Brotherhood investigates the narrator’s motives working as the spokesperson for Harlem after Brother Wrestrum accuses him of using his position to heighten his own power. The Brotherhood temporarily assign the narrator to discuss “The Women Question” Downtown until they completes their investigation. When the narrator returns, Tod Clifton, a fellow Brotherhood member, went missing. Later, the narrator finds Brother Clifton selling Sambo dolls on a street corner saying, “You simply take him and shake him…and he does the rest” (433). The Brotherhood used Brother Clifton and the narrator like puppets to achieve the goals of the organization. The Brotherhood hires the narrator because and they could manipulate him and use his race to control Harlem. When Clifton and the narrator became too popular or powerful, The Brotherhood knocks them down a few pegs. The Brotherhood resembles most institutions: more concerned with pleasing white society and maintain the status quo. The Brotherhood does not mind sacrificing their members as long as they become closet to their greater plan. The black community exists for the use and entertainment of white society. When members of the black community become too powerful through their role in white society, they will be removed or knocked down. When a cop shoots Clifton dead, the narrator …show more content…
He becomes aware of his role and definition in society and realizes he must find a socially responsible way to make change, which Ellison denies him. From college to The Brotherhood, the narrator faces double binds and events that shape him. While being shaped, the narrator looks for ways to define himself outside of what society sees in him. He searches for an identity and a way to act within society responsibly, but never finds one. Although self-aware, he finds no real solid ground for his identity and actions. The narrator’s experiences represent the struggle of the black community in white society. He believes his experiences define him and what he’s learned gives him infinite possibilities as he plans to reemerge after being underground. Though the novel closes with no options for the narrator to act socially responsible in society, the narrator has endless possibilities for the