Chapters 10-12

During his time in New York, the narrator learns that the black people of Harlem stand in solidarity. Although they are treated as lesser beings by the white citizens, they all view each other as equals. The narrator is an exception; he keeps to himself, ignores other people of color, and feels insulted when people make assumptions regarding his origins. The factory where he begins working is a terrible and saddening environment. The upstairs section is always chaotic, the people in charge keep everything a secret and use intimidation tactics on the workers, and racist symbolism is used to regard the paint. Phrases like “If its Optic White, its Right White” remind the narrator of a colloquial saying from the south (“if you’re white, you’re right”). These words indicate a direct correlation between whiteness, clarity, and overall goodness. It highlights the racial prejudices that plagued America at the time. Because the narrator is so frightened by his overseers, he never asked questions and eventually ruined an entire batch of paint. As punishment, he is sent to work in the boiler room. Here he meets a wise, prideful back man who resists the tyranny of the factory leaders; his constant cussing builds tension between him and the narrator. They argue, and eventually come to terms with one another, but this moment of peace is cut short by an explosion in the boiler room. The narrator is unconscious until he halfway wakes up in a hospital. This section of the book made me angriest because of the brutal way the white doctors treated the narrator; he was subjected to multiple rounds of electroshock therapy; when his body reacted to the currents, one of the white doctors joked that “black people really do have rhythm. This revealed the indifference that white people felt towards the suffering of black folks; upon ruining his mental state, they were making jokes about his anguish. After leaving the hospital, the narrator claims that an “alien personality” has overcome him, which marks the beginning of a big shift in his mental state.