Symbolism: Week 3

The invisible man, in desperation to escape the worries and anxious thoughts crossing his mind, hurries out of Mary’s house to get some fresh air. While taking a stroll through Harlem, his attention is drawn to a man selling yams on the street. Immediately, the potent aroma of the yams evokes a feeling of nostalgia for the invisible man, so powerful that he “stopped as though struck by a shot, deeply inhaling, remembering” (262). Suddenly overcome by pleasant memories of his childhood in the south and a sense of homesickness, he approaches the street vendor and purchases a yam, reminiscing in its indulgent flavor. He quickly finishes the yam and feels an overwhelming sense of freedom in no longer being ashamed to indulge in something he likes. This scene contrasts with the scene in the drugstore in chapter 9, with his refusal of pork chops and grits- his attempt to break free from his southern heritage. Earlier in the novel, the invisible man would refuse to be seen conducting himself the way stereotypical black people behave, and strived only to be a model black citizen to the whites. However, by shamelessly eating the yams out in public, the invisible man can now embrace his heritage, which until now, he thought of as a form of black inferiority. His newfound acceptance of himself is seen through his dialogue of yams with the street vendor, stating “they’re my birthmark…I yam what I am!” (266). The invisible man realizes that he does not have to answer to anyone but himself, proving that he is further on his way to understanding and is no longer chained to the white ideals.