In the beginning, Ellison uses Clifton as a foil to highlight I.M.’s reasons for taking role in a leadership position. Ellison makes I.M. quite aloof from the topic of black freedom to demonstrate not his love for freedom, but his love for recognition and attention. Ellison’s use of Clifton as a foil contrasts I.M.’s political attitude with Clifton’s sincerity towards the issue of black freedom. In fact I.M. originally sees Tod Clifton as a threat and then says, “But when Brother Tod Clifton came into my office to discuss the street meeting I saw no signs of resentment, but a complete absorption in the strategy of the meeting” (Ellison 367). I.M.’s desire for attention is emphasized as here he realizes Clifton is for the people, not for the recognition. The whole story of I.M. may be considered a Bildungsroman as he experiences situations that mold him to whom he becomes in the Epilogue and Prologue. Similarly, Clifton experiences his own miniature Bildungsroman as he strays away from being an outward conformist. Clifton’s Bildungsroman is important to the work as Ellison uses it to demonstrate I.M.’s failure to see. Particularly with the Sambo doll incident. In this situation Clifton sells a doll to a white audience where Clifton shouts,”Shake him, stretch him by the neck and set him down (...) Shake him, shake …show more content…
Clifton was of great importance to the novel as he represented the power of the Brotherhood and whites in society. Before Clifton’s “dismissal” the Brotherhood regarded him as a respected member although a little rebellious. However, once Clifton left, the Brotherhood was easily able to turn him from respected member to “a traitorous merchant of vile instruments of anti-Negro” (Ellison 466). The Brotherhood’s immense power and ability to control the people is demonstrated as everyone in the meeting agreed with Brother Jack and no longer showed support for Clifton. Ellison furthers his point and feeling towards the Brotherhood as Clifton also functions to demonstrate the unanimity and lack of individualism in the organization. Brother Jack not only has the power to sway the beliefs of the people, but also to develop unanimous consent from them (with the exception of I.M.) as revealed by the agreement with all of Brother Jack’s statements and how no white Brother ever rejects another white Brother’s point. While Clifton demonstrates the power of the whites through Clifton, Ellison may also be making a comment on the oppressed people’s desire for a leader and for a martyr. During a hymnal in the funeral, I.M. notices a the crowd of people and how “crowds approached the park from all directions” (Ellison 452). Ellison’s