Power- Week 4

The invisible man had been working with the “Woman Question” for some time, and he received a phone call summoning him to an emergency meeting at headquarters. After walking in late, he is told that he should “no longer concern [himself] with the Woman Question.” Brother Jack then speaks up and questions, “What has become of Brother Tod Clifton?..He has disappeared, disappeared!” Moving on, Brother Jack ordered the narrator to “return to Harlem immediately” because Brother Clifton “failed in his assignment.” Once the meeting had ended, Brother Jack “emphasized with his gavel” by slamming it on the table. Usually a gavel is a common symbol of power and order because it is often seen in courts-- a place of power that brings justice to the world. The person that holds a gavel is the judge, the most powerful person in a courtroom. They maintain order and are given a great deal of responsibility. In this case Brother Jack is the one holding the gavel, meaning that he is the judge and leader of the Brotherhood. The purpose of the Brotherhood is to achieve equality (justice) for all people, having the same basic principles as a courtroom would. However, this is ironic because he claims that the Brotherhood is an organization that makes decisions as a collective group, but he is the one with the final say-- he holds the gavel.