the Brotherhood
E945046
The Brotherhood is a fictional political organization in Ralph Ellison’s novel "Invisible Man," portrayed as a manipulative, ostensibly progressive group that exploits racial and social tensions for its own ideological ends.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| the Brotherhood (Invisible Man) | 0 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional organization
ⓘ
fictional political organization ⓘ literary organization ⓘ |
| appearsIn | Invisible Man NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| betrays |
Harlem community
ⓘ
Invisible Man (protagonist) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| conflictsWith |
Ras the Destroyer
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ras the Exhorter NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| controls | Brotherhood newspaper ⓘ |
| createdBy | Ralph Ellison NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| focusesOn |
class struggle
ⓘ
labor issues ⓘ racial tensions in Harlem ⓘ |
| hasMember |
Brother Hambro
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Brother Jack NERFINISHED ⓘ Brother Tobitt NERFINISHED ⓘ Brother Wrestrum NERFINISHED ⓘ Invisible Man (protagonist) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasRoleInWork | central political organization in Invisible Man ⓘ |
| ideology |
leftist
ⓘ
ostensibly progressive ⓘ |
| imposesOnMembers |
ideological conformity
ⓘ
strict discipline ⓘ |
| inspiredBy | American Communist Party (interpretive) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| instrumentalizes |
Black political activism
ⓘ
racial protest ⓘ |
| leadershipIncludes |
Brother Hambro
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Brother Jack NERFINISHED ⓘ Brother Tobitt NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| narrativeFunction |
to complicate representations of interracial political alliances
ⓘ
to expose manipulation within progressive movements ⓘ |
| operatesInFictionalLocation | Harlem NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| portrayedAs |
bureaucratic
ⓘ
exploitative of racial tensions ⓘ ideologically rigid ⓘ manipulative ⓘ using Black communities instrumentally ⓘ |
| primaryGoal |
advance its own ideological program
ⓘ
expand organizational influence ⓘ |
| prioritizes | abstract theory over lived experience ⓘ |
| recruits | Invisible Man (protagonist) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
ideological organizations that erase individuality
ⓘ
the dangers of dogmatic politics ⓘ |
| timeOfDepictedActivity | 1930s–1940s (approximate, within the novel’s setting) ⓘ |
| usesCommunicationChannel | speeches and rallies ⓘ |
| usesTactic |
manipulation of social unrest
ⓘ
propaganda ⓘ theoretical jargon ⓘ top-down directives ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.