Sambo Doll: African American Discourse in Ellison's Novel - Essay Example

The symbolism of the “Sambo” doll highlights one of the themes of the novel that is the focus on prejudices and taking control over a man’s desire to stay equal in front of the other representatives of the diminished minorities. Chapter 20 exhibits the walking around the city that a narrator takes to see the surroundings. Eventually, he finds Todd Clifton, an Afro-American boy that holds manipulating a “Sambo” doll, playing it as a toy, dancing, while singing a song for the fun of whites.

It signifies the major correspondence of this event to the themes of the novel that are racial injustice and lack of control over one’s man own life. Racism is one of the central motifs in “Invisible Man” because the narrator provides an individual perception of how Clifton cannot even manage his own life but playing with a toy. Although he possibly can fall apart from the stereotype, he can hardly be able to fight against racism. The narrator catches him selling the “Sambo” doll when he comes to be eventually killed by the police officer on the street, being subjected to the conditions of prejudice.

After this incident, the narrator grasps the “Sambo” doll out of him and subjects it to the fire without being able, however, to chase away prejudices and a stereotype on the race that the society has in its attitude to an Afro-American. Also, the narrator uses the image of the ”Sambo” doll (African American discourse in Ellison’s novel should be highlighted as the priority) holds some rate of compassion to Clifton and his attitude to an African American representatives.

Although Clifton can hardly take control of his betrayal when playing with a toy, we are all subjected to think that his choice is triggered by the measures of society and its racism. In the focus of the narrator, a simple man without the understandable boundaries that would like to