This Concept has Staying Power...Unfortunately.
"I was the irresponsible one; for I should have used my knife to protect the higher interests of society. Some day that kind of foolishness will cause us some tragic trouble."
In this quote in the prologue, the protagonist is suggesting that he should have used the knife to murder the man to meet society's expectations. There is a saying that people only notice things when they aren't as they should be. For instance, the child seated quietly in the backseat of the car will go unnoticed, but the kid who is kicking the back of the driver's seat and rolling the window up and down will attract attention. I believe this is the kind of effect about which Ellison is speaking. Minorities are expected to be powerless and weak, but as soon as an individual acts out, the act gains attention, and serves only to confirm the attitudes of society. I think this is the very thing the protagonist's grandfather was talking about on his deathbed. Perhaps he was a traitor because he did not conform to society's expectations. But it is likely that he also failed to meet the expectations of the members of his race, the majority of which would want him to act out in anger and resentment, and to be noticed. It is a vicious cycle, which is definitely still in place today. The reigns of society continue to halt the development of an entire people, and are difficult to shake loose. African Americans are underrepresented in terms of taking advantage of the opportunities that are now available. I think the power of expectations, or the lack thereof, is tragically underestimated. It's as if an entire people has the condition known as "failure to thrive" from chronic dehumanization and lack of stimulation, and the result is an entire race of untapped resources of knowledge, creativity, and the like.
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL267/2009/03/ellison_the_invisible_man/
I agree with you that minorities are seen as powerless, but once they cause trouble, everyone knows about it. I like that you brought up this point because I didn't think of looking at the quote in that way. Also, tieing it to what his grandfather said on his deathbed was something I didn't think of as well. Good observations.
I also agree with this. We really only hear the bad things that happen and see it as people "living up to the stereotype." This is an interesting take on the quote that you presented and I really didnt think of it like that. He could have lived up to the stereotype and just murderd the man, but he chose not to.
That is exactly why I brought up what Grandpa said. It's like the minorities want to act out and do what they feel they should to defend themselves. But really they are only encouraging the stereotypes imposed upon them.
I agree too! It is sad that even in the world today, people feel like they need to be just like everyone else in order to fit in. I feel like Ellison really made a lot of strong suggestions as to the nature of human beings in the prolouge for this book.
You are right about minorities being powerless until something happens. It's like when something bad happens in a neighborhood such as a criminal act like theft, the media will be sure to get that on the news right away when it's a minority and (in my opinion) they talk more about the situation when it is a minority person who committed the crime.
He did the right thing by not acting in violence.