When the narrator puts on dark-lensed glasses, he immediately is mistaken for a man named Rinehart. Not so much a character as an idea, Rinehart represents the fluidity, hopefulness, and charlatanism of the black community. Rinehart is a gambler, a numbers man, a pimp, and a preacher, and shifts between all of his roles with ease. Rinehart is a reminder of the open possibilities outside strictly prescribed visions of the world.
Rinehart Quotes in Invisible Man
The Invisible Man quotes below are all either spoken by Rinehart or refer to Rinehart. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 23
Quotes
His world was possibility and he knew it. He was years ahead of me and I was a fool…The world in which we lived was without boundaries. A vast seething, hot world of fluidity, and Rine the rascal was at home. Perhaps only Rine the rascal was at home in it.
Related Characters:
The Narrator (speaker), Rinehart
Related Symbols:
The Dark-Lensed Glasses
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Rinehart Character Timeline in Invisible Man
The timeline below shows where the character Rinehart appears in Invisible Man. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 23
...is approached by a beautiful woman. The woman has mistaken him for another man named Rinehart, who also apparently wears dark glasses. At first the narrator plays along in order to...
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Now in glasses and a hat, the narrator is repeatedly mistaken for the man named Rinehart. He decides that he will have to learn more about Rinehart if people are going...
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...and then into outright conflict. At first, the narrator is simply playing the part of Rinehart, but the stubborn Maceo begins to make the narrator angry. Very quickly, he is ready...
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Back out on the street, more men recognize the narrator as Rinehart, and the narrator is beginning to learn to speak the language. One man asks “Rinehart”...
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A squad car stops the narrator, asking for their cut of Rinehart’s money. The narrator tells the police that he isn’t Rinehart. The police say that the...
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The narrator keeps walking, hoping to have escaped Rinehart’s territory. However, a woman appears behind the narrator, recognizing him as Rinehart. She speaks to...
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...notices a neon-lighted church. He takes a handout from the church, only to discover that Rinehart is the church’s minister. The narrator is shocked by the apparent contradiction of so many...
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The narrator wonders if it is possible for Rinehart to be all of the figures that he seems to be. He reflects that Rinehart’s...
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...community will have to be “sacrificed.” The narrator feels that beneath it all, something about Rinehart is bothering him. Hambro tells the narrator that his district’s progress needs to be slowed...
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The narrator walks along the park, thinking about the Brotherhood and Rinehart. He worries that if the people willingly accept Rinehart’s charlatanism, that his own struggle doesn’t...
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...to gain more information. The narrator confirms to himself that he is ready to use “Rinehart methods.”
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Chapter 24
...Sybil’s visit, buying alcohol, food, and flowers for the rendezvous. He tries to imagine what Rinehart would do in the situation. However, the narrator quickly admits that he “bungled” the situation....
(full context)
