A common theme throughout Invisible Man has obviously been race and racism. However, the book deal with other themes too such as the theme of ambition and disillusionment as well as power and self-interest. This theme is present from chapter one with the battle royal and continues throughout the book. However, I am going to talk about its place in Chapter 21.
In Chapter 21 Clifton is dead. The narrator will never be able to ask him why he was selling his Sambo dolls and therefore, he is deprived of resolution, unable to get closure. Like many things Clifton is now lost to history. When the narrator examines the Sambo doll, he discovers a string, it is hard to see but it is there. Clifton, even after leaving the brotherhood, was always in control of himself and his actions, and there was more to these actions than just acts of racism. The narrator is the one, by choice, to organize Clifton’s funeral. He wants to use the funeral to help Clifton die with e positive legacy and use death of Clifton to energize the community, get them involved in the serious political issue behind Clifton’s death. One thing that did surprise me in the story is the complete non-action of the youth. I feel like youth, like the young men and woman in Clifton’s Youth Brigade, always have a big part in shaping history. We can see that in current history, with protests and marches being orchestrated by elementary and high school kids as well as college age kids. However, sometimes, it can feel like kids’ contributions can be overlooked or belittled in the media. But it just struck me as odd that the Youth Brigade did use their grief to fuel their outrage and use that outrage to plan marches, speeches, peaceful protests, instead they were just stunned by the news. The only person that was politically minded was the Invisible Man. There could be something more to that part that I’m not seeing but it annoyed me. From there the Invisible Man does something that defies what Brother Jack told him, never act as an individual without the okay from the Brotherhood, the narrator throws himself into his work and planning Clifton’s funeral alone, taking power away from Brother Jack simply by defying him. Later, the narrator, who had speech, tried to tell everyone to leave that he had nothing to say but, in the end, becomes powerless and finds himself having to the speech anyway, knowing all the while that Brother Jack would not approve due to the political content. However, he can see when he finishes his speech that his political aim had failed, he was not able to organize the crowd to action, but he was able to rile up and anger the public. As he walks through Harlem feeling the tension, he still wants to put all the energy from the community into a strong political movement. A noble cause if there ever was one, but one wrong move and violence could erupt.

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