“For they had the power to use a paper doll, first to destroy his integrity and then as an excuse for killing him. All right, so we’ll use his funeral to put his integrity together again…For that’s all he had had or wanted.” (Page 338-my version. Beginning of Chapter 21-For y’all. The memorial preparations scene.)

 

The internal logic/moral code (consistency) of the Invisible Man falls apart when looking at the stated quote because his perspective is unclear. Who is the we in this statement? Is it the Brotherhood, or is it the black community? Is he organizing this funeral as a Brotherhood member or as a black man? Because Brother Clifton left the organization and ended up selling Samba dolls- a clear affront to Brotherhood values-, there is no way that the Brotherhood would support this funeral, especially considering their stringent beliefs. The Invisible Man’s evoking of the politics to mediate/cope with his own anger and disgust of the situation points to a moment where the Invisible Man is using the politics (the Brotherhood’s approach) as his own personal therapy. He prepares the funeral under the banner of the Brotherhood; however, his actions are not very Brotherhood-like. The difference is important because to use Tod Clifton’s funeral for the Brotherhood would make Clifton’s death merely symbolic, or representational. A metonymy. Whereas if the Invisible Man is using the funeral for his and the community’s healing, Clifton would be seen as more a part of the black community. A synecdoche. The meaning of Clifton’s death unravels itself through the perspective that the Invisible Man has which- as the chapter continues- reflects his relationship with Clifton as both symbolic and material- the material and symbolic mutually co-constructing/deconstructing each other. The meaning of Clifton’s death becomes clearer as the internal logic/moral code becomes closely untangled.