Allusions Week 5

During the later parts of the novel, the narrator encounters Sybil, the wife of an abusive member of the Brotherhood. The narrator wishes to acquire information about the brotherhood's dealings and, after originally targeting another woman, he settled on Sybil because he felt that she would be more likely to give in to him given her family life. Her name itself is an allusion to the greek oracle Sibyl who, not unlike the character in The Invisible Man and her relations with the narrator, is used for her ability to provide information. In the story, the narrator attempts to use Sybil to get information about the future plans of the brotherhood, just as many did with Sibyl. Ellison uses this allusion to assert the Sybil's purpose in the novel and to provide insight into the position equivalent to the greek hero that the narrator fills.