Throughout the novel, the invisible man went through numerous events that changed his ideology from being a good citizen going with the flow to being more open and analytic. This progression is visible through analyzing the “stuff” he owned and encountered. An example of this is Clifford’s dancing paper sambo doll. “He’s Sambo, the dancing doll, ladies and gentlemen. Shake him, stretch him by the neck, and set him down- he’ll do the rest…and all for twenty-five cents.” The doll itself symbolized how African Americans are viewed by society, mainly by the white community. It is a flashback to slavery in which they were seen as objects rather than individuals. After all, African Americans were purchased similar to how Clifford’s dolls are obtainable “all for twenty-five cents.” As the Sambo dolls shake and dance for its viewers’ entertainment, African Americans were bought in the past as entertainment to white men. It is a perspective of masters and slaves, superior to inferior.

Seeing the Sambo doll, the narrator was taken aback, offended by the sight. “I felt betrayed. I looked at the doll and felt my throat constrict. The rage welled behind the phlegm as I rocked back on my heels and crouched forward.” Clifford, who was a former member of the Brotherhood wielding the doll shows how he is accepting of his fate in this racist society. The mentality of going with the flow ad being a good citizen, as the narrator was in the beginning. Seeing this and being hurt by it shows his growth, how he fully accept his grandfather’s warning to “live your head in the lion’s mouth.”

Another important aspect of the Sambo doll is the near-invisible strings that controlled its movements. ” I saw a fine black thread and pulled it from the frilled paper. There was a loop tied in the end. I slipped it over my finger and stood stretching it taut. And this time it danced. Clifford has been making it dance all the time and the black thread has been invisible.” The realization of how Clifford mad the samba doll dance is also a realization of how society and things are moved and influence. As he later realized during a meeting in the Brotherhood that he wanted to attend, he was left out. As he failed to see especially in the earlier chapters, there are more to things that are visible. This realization has opened his eyes and mind, allowed him to be more analytic.

Conclusively, the narrator showed tremendous growth throughout the novel. One way to view this is by analyzing the objects in the novel that he encountered and possessed. An example of this object is the samba dancing doll that Clifford sold for twenty-five cents. The samba doll being controlled is parallel to slavery and being controlled by the likes of Clifford shows the acceptance of the black stereotypes. The narrator being offended and feeling betrayed by this is a show of his growth. Additionally, his ability to see how the doll is controlled by invisible strings displays how he has become more open-minded and analytic.

Racism is a dilemma that has haunt humanity for centuries. From slavery to discrimination, it has loomed over society like an everlasting smog; a toxic cloud corrupting the mindset of individuals. Although numerous attempts have been made to erode racism, obstacles still remain for the people of color.

The biggest source of knowledge for a modern society is the media. Studies in 2016 showed that 62% of American adults rely on social media such as Facebook and Twitter to obtain news. As we all know, in modern society, people also rely on films, such as documentaries and historical movies to learn about the past. Now one may ask, is this really a bad thing? Yes, technology has made it easy for information to be accessed, to be learned, but at the same time knowledge acquired through technology, through media has its downfalls. How many times has a person from a different culture attempt to write about the history, the perspective of people he did not know or grew up with, or even share the same culture with? This concern was shared by Claudia Rankine in her article “On Whiteness and the Racial Imaginary.” She continued on to say that, people, such as white people, proceed to write about others such as black individuals. She says although that it is not necessarily a bad thing for authors to voice their imagination, it is also wrong. It “is to make a mistake. It is to begin the conversation in the wrong place,”(Rankine and Loffreda).  She further stated that “our imagination are creatures as limited as we ourselves are.” People’s imagination is limited to what they know as an individual. People can’t accurately depict history simply through their imagination. People can’t play the role of historical figures without experiencing the pain, and suffering of those figures. People using imagination to show their perspective on cultures and history they do not fully understand is an issue.