Pulling at the Strings: The Manipulation of the African American Race Through History

Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man is wrought with symbols that accurately depict the conditions African American’s faced in 1930’s Harlem. One of the most iconic symbols from the novel is the Sambo Doll, a pitch black puppet, manipulated by the strings attached to it. 

Tod Clifton masterly manipulates this symbol of the degradation of the ‘stereotypical’ African American from this time period and how the other races view the black population in Harlem. Made to mimic the image of Sambo the slave, the toy is pulled by strings and is unable to move without them because Sambo the slave was stereotyped as lazy. However, at first glance, our invisible narrator does not see the black and invisible strings while Clifton is pulling on them. Once he does, the narrator begins to take a closer examine the manipulation he has experienced throughout his transition from the south to the north, while the Brotherhood manipulates the African American population and Harlem, and the stereotypes and prejudices associated with African Americans has manipulated the way other races view the narrator and even how he views himself.

The Sambo Doll was commonly used at white-middle class parties and was viewed as entertainment. As soon in the picture above, the box advertises that the Dancing Sambo Doll is “fun at your parties,” once again affirming the stereotypes that other races would manipulate the African American population for entertainment. Being sold as something that “cannot break” and is worth “twenty-five cents” (Chapter 20) just as white owners were able to buy slaves and use them in any way they wanted for very little money during the era of slavery.

The doll was named Sambo after a children’s book entitled The Story of Little Black Sambo but the word Sambo now is connoted as a racial term for African Americans. During the late 1800’s when the children’s book was released, the book was viewed as a text that positively portrayed black characters. The fact that the doll was still being used when the narrator was living in Harlem reiterates the fact that there were still prejudices and negative associations to the African American race and that equality for all races had not made huge strives since the 1900’s.

Even today, members of modern American society still see the African American race as inferior to the white race. There are still numerous groups of white supremacists that believe they are and should always be dominant to other races, just like they were during the era of slavery. Just two weeks ago, many articles were released where white supremacists held rallies to speak against the “inferior” races, not afraid to show their faces to the media. They are using banners at entertainment gatherings to get their messages across, trying to persuade other Americans to adopt their prejudices against the African American race and prove that white people are physically and mentally superior. Recently, there was a teacher in Florida that was accused of hosting a white supremacist podcast stating that science has provided evidence that some races are smarter than others. Even though racism against African Americans date back to the 19^th century, or even before that, we are still seeing this “unapologetic” racism that plagues are culture deep in the 21^st century.