Both Bledsoe and Bigger seem to enjoy the feeling they get from wearing masks. Bigger experiences a purpose in his life like never before and has control of his own destiny. "He could run away; he could remain; he could even go down and confess what he had done. The mere thought that these avenues of action were open to him made him feel free, that life was his" (179). Bledsoe likes to brag about how he only pretends to impress important white people, and "even those I control more than they control me"(127). The fact that their masks are so effective make them a bit contemptuous of white people. Bledsoe says "The white folk tell everyone what to think-except men like me. I tell them" (128). Bigger is similarly proud of how he fooled the Daltons and Britten. "They would never think that he had done it; not a meek black boy like him" (179). Considering that one is a convicted criminal and one the president of a university, there are a remarkable amount of similarities between Dr Bledsoe and Bigger Thomas.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Dr. Bigger Bledsoe
When I was reading chapter 6 of Invisible Man, the thing that really jumped out at me was when Dr Bledsoe said "I's big and black and I say 'Yes, suh' as loudly as any burr-head when it's convenient" (127). As I read this the words 'Yes, suh' I thought immediately of Native Son. Up until then in the Invisible Man, the word 'sir' had always been spelled s-i-r, never 'suh.' The sudden usage of 'suh' here made me think of Native Son, where Bigger Thomas always says 'Yessuh' or 'Nawsuh' to the whites. As I was thinking about the similarities in language, I was struck by how similar the character of Bledsoe is to the character of Bigger Thomas when Bigger is living in the Dalton's house after he has killed Mary.
One of the most important similarities is their names. Both start with B and are two syllables. Both Bigger and Bledsoe wear a mask of humbleness and deference, as alluded to above with the 'Yessuh.' Bledso is described as having the bearing of a "portly head waiter" when he is around important white people (103). Bigger is so focused on being modest and deferential that in the entire night he is out with Mary and Jan, he never once voices an opinion or says yes or no (80). Not only do they both act humble, they both act dumber than they are around white people. When Britten is questioning Bigger, Bigger makes the most of his dumbness. "He would let each of the facts of his story fall slowly, as though he did not realize the significance of them. He would answer only what was asked" (148). Despite their humble, stupid masks, both Bledsoe and Bigger are actually tricking the white people for their own purposes. Bigger is trying to blame Jan for Mary's murder and get ransom money from the Daltons. Bledsoe wants power, wealth and prestige, and is willing to "wait and plan and lick around" to get it (128).
Both Bledsoe and Bigger seem to enjoy the feeling they get from wearing masks. Bigger experiences a purpose in his life like never before and has control of his own destiny. "He could run away; he could remain; he could even go down and confess what he had done. The mere thought that these avenues of action were open to him made him feel free, that life was his" (179). Bledsoe likes to brag about how he only pretends to impress important white people, and "even those I control more than they control me"(127). The fact that their masks are so effective make them a bit contemptuous of white people. Bledsoe says "The white folk tell everyone what to think-except men like me. I tell them" (128). Bigger is similarly proud of how he fooled the Daltons and Britten. "They would never think that he had done it; not a meek black boy like him" (179). Considering that one is a convicted criminal and one the president of a university, there are a remarkable amount of similarities between Dr Bledsoe and Bigger Thomas.
Both Bledsoe and Bigger seem to enjoy the feeling they get from wearing masks. Bigger experiences a purpose in his life like never before and has control of his own destiny. "He could run away; he could remain; he could even go down and confess what he had done. The mere thought that these avenues of action were open to him made him feel free, that life was his" (179). Bledsoe likes to brag about how he only pretends to impress important white people, and "even those I control more than they control me"(127). The fact that their masks are so effective make them a bit contemptuous of white people. Bledsoe says "The white folk tell everyone what to think-except men like me. I tell them" (128). Bigger is similarly proud of how he fooled the Daltons and Britten. "They would never think that he had done it; not a meek black boy like him" (179). Considering that one is a convicted criminal and one the president of a university, there are a remarkable amount of similarities between Dr Bledsoe and Bigger Thomas.
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When I first read your title Jonny, I was really confused. The first time I read the chapters of Invisible Man that Dr. Bledsoe was in, I didn’t connect him at all with Bigger. Maybe it was their total opposite standings in society that threw me off, but I really didn’t see it. I must say, you convinced me. Especially your first similarity in the second paragraph, I mean them having the same first initial?-Coincidence I think not.
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness though, I am convinced that they have many more similarities than I first noticed. One thing that still sticks out in my mind though, is that at least in my class, the responses to the two characters were so different. Bigger Thomas kills two women, tries to extort ransom, and frames an innocent man. Yet, like myself, I got the impression that most people sympathized with Bigger. He did grow up dirt poor, was put in extremely difficult circumstances, and reacted to those in the only way he knew how. We accepted why Bigger did what he did, we didn’t condone it, but we somewhat excused it.
Bledsoe didn’t receive any sympathy, but after all, he did come to college dirt poor (according to Barbee), and worked his way up to be the Founder’s right hand man, and eventually the president of the college. He does go way overboard in his thirst for power, but besides that, isn’t his story the famed American Ideal, that anybody can work their way up from nothing to greatness by hard work and perseverance? Shouldn’t that be the guy we sympathize with, a man who worked hard and when he basically got into the top just couldn’t stop trying to climb? I think there lies the real difference between the two, the response they illicit from readers, though I would say in most other aspects they are a lot more similar than first meets the eye, like you said.
Both men do wear a mask and do use it for their own ends but they still go about it in slightly different ways. Bigger's main weapon is the assumption of his ignorance. He pretends to not understand whats going on when hes questioned and the assumption is made on the part of the detectives that his stupidity is proof of his innocence, no one that dumb could cover their tracks this well. For Bledsoe the assumption of ignorance is merely collateral damage. His ploy is to appear the deferential servant, which guarantees his position for the future and also gives him room to work around the people he is duping.
ReplyDeleteOne way to frame this distinction might be that Bigger is small-time, while, ironically, Bledsoe is big-time. We see Bigger reacting in an almost instinctual way--the "mask" is ingrained, a result of how he's always been taught white people want him to act in their presence. When he starts deliberately *using* this as a strategy to conceal his crimes, he's improvising, seeing such possibilities for the first time. Bledsoe, in contrast, has made a career of it, and he's got it worked out into a science, a way of life. It's excellent to point out some of the essential connections between these two apparently disparate characters.
ReplyDeleteThis "mask" similarity is such an interesting one you bring up. Another similarity between Bigger and Bledsoe that occurred to me is the fact that neither feels the "bond" or "responsibility" to represent their race. Bledsoe openly says that he would see every black man hanging from a tree if it means he gets more power. Bigger is not quite so heartless and blatant, but I do recall the scene where he overhears two black neighbors discussing how he is "ruining it for the rest of them". At first he is upset, but it doesn't make him feel guilty enough to stop running from the authorities. Both of these characters are willing to put the good of themselves over the good of "their people", and feel almost no remorse when they bring the rest of them down.
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