The Prologue opens with the Narrator directly addressing the reader. He identifies himself as “an invisible man.” because others refuse to see or acknowledge him. He recounts an incident where he nearly killed a man who had insulted him. On the verge of slitting the offender’s throat, he realised the man did not even see him but instead thought of him as a mere figment of his imagination.
The Narrator goes on to describe how he has been living off the grid by stealing electricity from Monopolated Light & Power. His underground hideout glows with 1,369 light bulbs that he keeps lit every hour of every day. He calls his underground dwelling a “warm hole” where he lies in wait for the moment to act. His time is spent listening to his radio-phonograph, he hopes to own five of them eventually. Among his favourite recordings is Louis Armstrong’s “(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue,” which he admires for its ability to transform invisibility into art.
The Narrator remembers when he was given some pot (marijuana) and he went back to his hole to listen to some Louis Armstrong. He heard more of the nuances in the music because his sense of time was disoriented. He felt like he was reaching deeper levels of the music. The first level had an old woman singing a spiritual in a cave, the level under that was a white girl begging not to be bought by men, and the lowest level was a congregation of people reacting to a man’s sermon.
The Narrator recalls an occasion when he smoked some marijuana and retreated to his underground space to listen to Armstrong’s music. The altered state heightened his perception and allowed him to perceive the layers within the song. On one level, he heard an elderly woman singing a spiritual in a cave, Beneath that, a white girl was pleading not to be sold, and at the deepest level, a congregation responding passionately to a preacher’s sermon.
In an italicised section of the text, the Narrator finds himself immersed in these visions. He eavesdrops on the congregation as they repeat thoughts about black being “bloody” and the sun being “bloody red”. He then engages with the old woman, who advises him to curse God and die. She shares her complex story: though she hated her slave master, she loved him because he fathered her children. Fearing her sons would murder their father, she poisoned him herself, declaring that while she loved him, her love for freedom was greater.
The Narrator asks her what freedom is, but she cannot make up her mind. One of the woman’s sons physically threatens him while ordering him not to ask his mom any more questions. The Narrator thinks he hears Ras the Destroyer following behind him. The Narrator is able to escape the music and comes out thinking how he was moved to act in the hallucinations, He decides not to smoke another reefer because, as an invisible man, he can stand seeing around corners, but hearing around them is something he just does not want to take on.
The Narrator concedes that he is irresponsible because he is invisible. But it is not entirely his fault that he is invisible - other people play a role in that, too. And he is ready to tell us all about how he became invisible.
The Narrator admits his invisibility has led to a certain irresponsibility but insists that this condition isn’t entirely his doing. The blame, he argues, also lies with those who refuse to see him. He is now prepared to recount the journey that led him to this state of invisibility.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Why does the Narrator describe himself as an "invisible man"?
a. He lives in the dark.
b. People refuse to see or acknowledge him.
c. He can physically disappear.
d. He isolates himself by choice.
What does the Narrator claim is the main reason for his irresponsibility?
a. His lack of a proper upbringing.
b. His invisibility and how others treat him.
c. His overindulgence in music and marijuana.
d. His frustration with society.
ANSWERS: 1. B 2. B
Theory Questions
Explain the significance of the Narrator’s underground hideout and how it reflects his feelings about society.
What does the song “(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue” represent for the Narrator, and how does it connect to the theme of invisibility?
