Brockway is the exact opposite of anything the narrator has known or expects from an authority figure. From the narrator's view, Bledsoe is the quintessential embodiment of an authority figure—respectful and humble while still maintaining an unquestionable air of power surrounding him. Even when his "mask" of humility is lifted upon becoming angry with the narrator, the narrator still respects him for how he plays the game of power so well and believes Bledsoe's unveiled temper is appropriate given the gravity of what the narrator has done. In contrast, Brockway doesn't have much of a "mask" and shows his power off to the narrator right from the start. He doesn't seem to hide much of his thoughts or background from the narrator, who perceives him as uneducated and unsophisticated. The narrator also seems to look down on Brockway, and for the first time in the novel, he goes against Brockway's authority which marks a step in his personality development.
The differences between Bledsoe and Brockway could be confusing for the narrator, despite him not consciously realizing it. The narrator respected Bledsoe immensely but that respect became anger when he realized Bledsoe was not exactly the humble and respectful person he'd thought. On the other hand, seeing Brockway's lack of a filter also makes the narrator feel uncomfortable.
Both Bledsoe and Brockway are extremely defensive over their power, and their final interactions with the narrator—expelling him and causing an explosion that leads him to the hospital, respectively—were both ways for them to protect their power. They've both risen through the ranks of their institutions and from the outside, Bledsoe is everything the narrator aspires to be. At their cores, however, Bledsoe and Brockway shatter the narrator's preconceived ideals of what authority should look like and in doing so, the narrator's perspective over people and power shifts greatly.
I think you do a really good job illustrating the narrator's perception of authority. In the first chapters of the novel, the narrator's entire consciousness seemed preoccupied by his need to please authority figures, so it has been interesting to see how Bledsoe and Brockway have caused him to distance himself from that mentality. I also think it is interesting how the first two authority figures the narrator questions in the book are both black men, so his consciousness is specifically changed by becoming more aware of the lengths black people have to go to in order to maintain power.
ReplyDeleteI like the dichotomy you pointed out where the narrator didn't like Bledsoe hiding himself, but also didn't like Brockway's blatant, upfront personality. I think you can also see this contrast in how the narrator was approving of Bledsoe's deference towards white people, and was upset to learn it was an act, while with Brockway, he thinks somewhat scornfully about how people like Brockway "bowed and scraped and feared and loved and imitated" white people. I think a really big part of the narrator's view on people is in what light they present themselves, how good they are at making themselves *act* sophisticated and educated, even if they're not all that different below the surface.
ReplyDeleteThe narrator tends to idealize authorities, and both Bledsoe and Brockway shatter that mindset. Bledsoe turns out to be spiteful and nasty, which upsets the narrator so much he resolves to murder him, and Brockway seems to have none of the traits the narrator has spent his life pursuing, so maybe his ability to find success despite that disheartens him.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of Brockway as essentially a Bledsoe figure, only without the "mask." I would connect this to the fact that he exists seemingly entirely underground, out of sight, functionally "invisible" to the daily workings of the factory, but also essential. He can "be himself" and has none of the formal surface-level trappings of respectability or success like Bledsoe does: his is an "underground" form of power, a kind of invisibility.
ReplyDeleteI really like your point about how both of these figures changed the narrator's critical consciousness and made him more suspicious of power. He seems to be very surprised at the fact that Brockway can have so much power but not show it - that he's just hidden underground even though it turns out the factory couldn't function without him. This makes sense if all the black men in power from his past were more like Bledsoe - out in the open, wearing a 'mask', etc.
ReplyDelete