Summary and Analysis

Summary

After spending four months studying the rhetoric of science, the narrator receives a phone call from Brother Jack with an invitation to ride. The narrator, who had expected to go to Chthonian, was disappointed when Brother Jack took him to El Trover instead. However, the narrator is thrilled to hear Brother Jack tell him that he has been appointed Chief Spokesperson for the Harlem District of the Fraternity. introduces him to Brother Tarp, an older black man who seems genuinely agitated.

The next morning, at a Brotherhood meeting, the narrator is introduced to the other Brotherhood members as the new speaker. When he meets Harlem youth leader Brother Todd Clifton, the narrator suspects that he may be a competitor for his new leadership position. Realizing nothing, he begins to relax and the two young men discuss strategies for working with the Harlem community.

As they exit the Brotherhood meeting, the Clifton brothers and the narrator are attacked by a group of black men led by Russ the Exhorter. The narrator sees Ra's brothers punch Clifton, menacingly raise and lower their knives and walk away. As the narrator and brother Clifton begin to leave, Ra's brother accuses Clifton of being a traitor. Furious at this accusation, the Clifton brothers turn on Russ and knock him unconscious. The Clifton brothers and the narrator walk away, determined to ignore Russ and return to the Brotherhood.

Analysis

To begin with, Brother Jack calls the narrator at midnight (the witching hour) and takes him not to the Chthonian, but to the El Toro (Spanish for "The Bull"), a Harlem bar that caters not to blacks, but to a Spanish-speaking clientele. At the El Toro, as the narrator studies the scenes of a bullfight on the wall panels behind the bar, he notices a calendar with a picture of a white girl in a beer ad, indicating the date as April 1 (April Fool`s Day). The scene also raises several issues that the narrator might question, especially after spending four months studying logic and scientific rhetoric. The encounter that the narrator and Brother Clifton have with Ras and his men places their position in a new perspective, for while both men see themselves as leaders of the black community, Ras and his men see them as sellouts and Uncle Toms.

This chapter raises the question: Is the narrator a sellout, or is he simply accepting a job that will enable him to earn a living by using his public speaking skills? Although Ras's argument appears to be purely emotional, he makes several valid points concerning the tactics whites use to manipulate blacks. Representing socialism and Black Nationalism, respectively, Brother Jack and Ras characterize the contrast between the Brotherhood and Ras's followers. The Brotherhood supposedly advocates nonviolence and focuses on integration and cooperation as the only means by which people — both black and white — will be able to work together for the good of society as a whole, especially the poor and oppressed. In contrast, Ras's followers advocate freedom and equality even if it means fighting for these rights.

The Brotherhood focuses on issues of both race and class, whereas Ras's followers emphasize race as the deciding factor. The Brotherhood may also represent the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) because it has been fraught with the same kinds of internal conflicts. Another important development in Chapter 17 concerns the relationship between the narrator and Brother Clifton. Conversely, the narrator, whom Emma describes as "not black enough" to represent the black community, is less steeped in Brotherhood philosophy and even admits that he has some doubts and misgivings about the organization.

But like Brother Clifton, he sees the Brotherhood as a supportive organization that will help him hone his leadership skills and achieve his goal of becoming a renowned and respected speaker. However, because both men are keenly aware that they have had to sacrifice many of their personal and cultural values to work for the Brotherhood, their encounter with Ras — who reminds them of their identity and responsibility to their African ancestors and the black community — is unsettling, especially for Brother Clifton. Another key character introduced in this chapter is Brother Tarp, who gives the narrator a portrait of Frederick Douglass, indicating his faith in the narrator, whom he sees as having the potential to become another Douglass. By giving the narrator a portrait of Douglass for his office, Brother Tarp demonstrates his faith in him as a potential leader of the black community.