Allusions

After joining the brotherhood, the narrator quickly gains support within the organization. He is well liked and boasts extremely confident and well spoken speeches. As his time in the brotherhood progresses, he receives an anonymous letter warning him not to act too quickly, for he is still a black man living in a white world. After discussing the matter with his friend Tarp, he gives the narrator a leg iron to remind him of his stature. The iron is an obvious allusion to slavery and white dominance in society, but it has another more subtle meaning as well. The narrator is, in spite of his best efforts, is still a slave to the actions of others. The power figures such as Bledsoe and, for a short time, Jack have over him constantly change his path. The leg iron is a reference to not only the days the african american race spent in slavery, but an ongoing allusion to the events and people that effect the narrators past and future.