Yams and Identity
"You could cause us the greatest humiliation simply by confronting us with something we liked"
One morning while walking the streets of Harlem, the narrator, still pretty new to the city, encounters a street vendor selling sweet yams, reminiscent of ones he used to eat at home in the south. While this scene does not immediately seem to have much direct significance to the plot, it’s really quite a beautiful scene that gives insight into our character and poses some interesting philosophical ideas.
The narrator still feels very out of place in New York. He remains
hyper-aware of the differences from his home in the south, and, whether he explicitly
recognizes it or not, longs for the southern identity he has been repressing to
fit in. So when he is confronted with this symbol of his past life, it comes as
a shock and sort of awakening for him. He says, “I took a bite […] and was
overcome with such a surge of homesickness that I turned away to keep my
control,” (Ellison 264). He is immediately transported into another state and
feels “suddenly overcome by an intense feeling of freedom,” because he was
eating something he enjoyed and connected to so deeply, while also not worrying
about what anyone thought of him, (264). During his first few months or so in
the completely new and different world of Harlem, he felt disconnected from his
true self and was constantly trying to fit in and repress himself. So, when he
is brought back to an important part of his old identity, it’s revolutionary
for him.
The narrator is very conscious of the significance of this
experience and gives his own insightful interpretation. There is one line that
the narrator says that really struck me, and I think it’s a fascinating idea.
He says, “you could cause us the greatest humiliation simply by confronting us
with something we liked,” and then goes on to imagine what it would be like to
confront Bledsoe with chitterlings and how that would humiliate him, (264). The
idea of humiliating something by giving them a food or item that they liked is
very interesting to me. It seems a bit ironic that it would make someone feel
bad to be confronted by something they have positive feelings towards, but I do
see how this could be true.
Overall I think this experience that the narrator has eating
yams is really influential to the way the rest of his time plays out. He is
able to reconnect with his past and think about it head on without pushing it
aside, and I think that was a very important thing.
Hi Anya, I agree that this moment is really beautiful as well! I think that the yams does have some effect on the narrator throughout the rest of the novel, although it may be very minute. I think that the yams kind of "wake the narrator up" and make him acknowledge his own invisibility to himself. For so long, he has been assimilating into white culture, specifically the culture of the Brotherhood, to the point that he has forgotten his own. After eating the yams, we see other interactions of the narrator with food, such as the cheesecake and the cabbage. In these two events, we also see how much more aware he is of those around on him and his perception of them through the food.
ReplyDeleteI also really loved this scene! It just seemed like pure joy for the narrator, something that it seemed like he hadn’t experienced in a long time. I really like how you mention that even though it doesn’t have anything to do at all with influencing or furthering the plot, it’s an important scene for us as the reader (and seems necessary to refresh the narrator as well) that gives lots of insight and great ideas to analyze!
ReplyDeleteThe idea of “homesickness” came up a lot in Invisible Man, I feel, and I thought it was an interesting trend in a book that’s all about finding your identity. Could he be longing for his past identity to continue into his future? Or perhaps longing for a time where the world and his identity and place in the world felt more certain, such as during childhood? I also love the idea of “freedom” that comes with eating the yams!
The line that you point out, “you could cause us… something we liked,” is an incredibly powerful statement. I found this idea interesting as well, particularly how it seems to connect to the idea of some sort of embarrassment for things that we enjoy, that are a part of us and our identity. It seems to connect a lot with vulnerability, perhaps, and being unafraid to take down your “masks” from your true identity, such as that which Bledsoe metaphorically wears.
I also found it very interesting that the yam scene directly precedes the narrator speaking at the eviction, and therefore his direct entry into the Brotherhood from there. That is where they tell him to basically forget and push away his past. Having this moment of reconnection with his home and southern identity right before this period of transition with the Brotherhood seems like a really interesting structural choice by Ellison!
Oops haha!! Sorry, didn’t realize this comment went on for so long! This is an excellent blog post, and I really enjoy this scene too and all the meaning it holds :)
I really enjoyed one of the few moments where the narrator seemed genuinely happy, and not pursuing some convoluted goal that he thinks he's supposed to care about. Taking on different identities is a problem for the narrator, and a source of confusion and stress for him, so that was a rare uncomplicated moment where something just felt good and authentic to him.
ReplyDeleteI really like your post! I really enjoyed this scene as well. The narrator experiences emotions that he rarely does mainly freedom and happiness . He feels all these emotions at once when he bites into the yam. It’s clear what a special moment this is in the story.
ReplyDeleteNice job on this post! I really like how you took a scene that could be interpreted as just a regular interaction that's sort of meaningless and really explore and dissect the scene. It's really interesting how the narrator has transitioned from wanting to prove everyone that he isn't the stereotype that everyone thinks he is, to just enjoying what he wants, and not caring what people think. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteI also found this scene to be really interesting! The way the author showed a rare scene in which the narrator was genuinely joyful rather than critical as he single-mindedly bulldozed towards his goal. Rather than being humiliating and a reminder of the parts of him that he wants to hide, it is a revolutionary step for him in starting to connect with his past rather than trying to escape it. This fact left a really big impression on me as I read it!
ReplyDeleteThis scene was definitely a very personal moment for the narrator, and we even see him imaging himself from an outside standpoint. I thought it was really interesting when you noted, "It seems a bit ironic that it would make someone feel bad to be confronted by something they have positive feelings towards." In this case, it's especially a deep hurt when you're attacked for something you're naturally inclined to like because you can't help it. I think this moment really shows growth for the narrator as well.
ReplyDeleteBy being confronted with something nostalgic, it is almost as if IM (or Bledsoe would) breaks character and is snapped out of a trance. The only reason it would be embarrassing to be confronted by something you like is if you were not being true to yourself and were hiding how you really felt about it.
ReplyDelete