Tod Clifton is a dedicated member of the Brotherhood chapter of Harlem and the leader of the chapter’s youth division. Early on, Clifton is the Brotherhood’s most tireless defender against the repeated attacks of Ras the Exhorter. However, when the Brotherhood’s policies shift, Clifton grows disillusioned and drops out of the Brotherhood. The narrator discovers him later selling Sambo dolls on the street, a cynical mocking of the Brotherhood’s high ideals.
Tod Clifton Quotes in Invisible Man
The Invisible Man quotes below are all either spoken by Tod Clifton or refer to Tod Clifton. 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 20
Quotes
Why did he choose to plunge into nothingness, into the void of faceless faces, of soundless voices, lying outside history?...But not quite, for actually it is only the known, the seen, the heard and only those events that the recorder regards as important that are put down, the lies his keepers keep their power by.
Related Characters:
The Narrator (speaker), Tod Clifton
Related Symbols:
The Sambo Doll
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Invisible Man LitChart as a printable PDF.
Tod Clifton Character Timeline in Invisible Man
The timeline below shows where the character Tod Clifton appears in Invisible Man. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 17
...Jack is there as well, and notes that everyone is present except for Brother Tod Clifton. Brother Jack informs the members that the narrator is charged with increasing the membership of...
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A tall, dark, and handsome man enters the meeting, and he is identified as Tod Clifton. Brother Jack asks why he is late, and Clifton replies that he had to see...
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The meeting continues. The narrator suggests stepping up the Brotherhood’s fight against evictions. Clifton quickly agrees with the narrator. The narrator suggests that the Brotherhood reach out to community...
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...Brotherhood members tell him that Ras opposes cooperation between blacks and whites. Brother Jack warns Clifton that the Brotherhood is strictly against violence.
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...He can’t quite place any of them as a “type.” Initially, he is worried that Clifton will resent the narrator’s leadership role, but quickly finds that Clifton is friendly and cooperative....
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...a ladder. A crowd has gathered to listen to his speech. As the narrator speaks, Clifton catches his eye, pointing out that Ras the Exhorter and his men have begun to...
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...in darkness. The narrator beats off an attacker. In the darkest area, the narrator finds Clifton and Ras fighting hand to hand. Ras pins Clifton and draws a knife to kill...
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Ras tells Clifton that he shouldn’t work with whites, stating that they will only betray him in the...
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...every night. Ras vows to fight them, telling them again that they’re betraying their race. Clifton strikes Ras, and Ras falls down as the two Brotherhood men run from the police...
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Chapter 18
...in order to be able to identify themselves. Wrestrum recounts an incident in which Tod Clifton accidentally ended up beating a white member of the Brotherhood. The narrator says he’ll bring...
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...tells the reporter that he is very busy, but that he should try interviewing Brother Clifton instead. As Wrestrum listens to his conversation, the narrator remarks to the reporter that he...
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...that he can speak about any subject. Finally, he is sorry to leave Tarp and Clifton. He heads downtown to his new assignment.
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Chapter 19
...that he is done lecturing on the “Woman Question.” However, what follows is unexpected: Tod Clifton has disappeared. Brother Jack asks if the narrator knows anything about his disappearance. The narrator...
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Chapter 20
...alone. He orders the remaining members the district to form teams and search for Tod Clifton, whose disappearance remains as mysterious as before.
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...people gathered around a strange, clipped voice. The narrator recognizes a boy, a friend of Clifton’s, standing just outside the crowd. The boy is watching a policeman on the other side...
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...source of the barker’s voice, only to discover that the barker is in fact Tod Clifton. The narrator and Clifton’s eyes meet, and Clifton smiles contemptuously while his sales pitch continues....
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Before anything else can happen, another whistle comes from Clifton’s boy. A policeman is coming to break up the show. Clifton picks up the Sambo...
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Looking at the doll, the narrator wonders how Clifton fell so far so quickly. He then recalls Clifton’s words about the need to “fall...
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The narrator rounds the corner into Bryant Park. In the park he sees two men, Clifton and a police officer. The policeman tries to stop Clifton to fine him for the...
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The narrator tries to approach Clifton, but is waved off by a police officer who tells him to cross the street....
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The narrator wanders into the subway, shocked by Clifton’s death. He cannot compose his thoughts, and wonders why Clifton would give up the organization...
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Chapter 21
...to the Brotherhood offices in Harlem. He is too heartbroken to tell the members of Clifton’s death. He wonders what Clifton must have thought when they saw each other earlier that...
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...He wonders how the doll works, and quickly discovers a nearly invisible thread that let Clifton control the doll from a distance. The narrator is filled with guilt, thinking that perhaps...
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The narrator still can’t make sense of Clifton’s decision or his death. However, he decides to organize a public funeral for Clifton. The...
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Several members of Clifton’s Youth Brigade have heard the news of Clifton’s death. The young men and women are...
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...tries to call headquarters again but receives no answer. He decides to go ahead planning Clifton’s funeral by himself, throwing himself into the work. Collections are made and meetings are organized.
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...narrator is unsure why the people have come out to watch, but wonders if perhaps Clifton’s death is an opportunity for the people to come together and “express their protestations.”
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...says that he has nothing to tell them, and that they know the facts of Clifton’s death. However, the narrator’s command quickly becomes the refrain of a passionate speech he gives...
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...aim. However, the crowd is clearly affected by the speech. The funeral ends and Tod Clifton is buried.
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Chapter 22
...committee doesn’t want to listen. Brother Jack tells him that the funeral was wrong because Clifton had betrayed the organization by deciding to sell Sambo dolls. The narrator replies that Clifton...
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...that the Brotherhood has abandoned the neighborhood. This, the narrator explains, is the reason for Clifton’s disappearance.
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Chapter 23
...a drink. The men in the bar are carrying on a heated discussion about Tod Clifton. They ask what the narrator thinks, but the narrator replies that he can’t answer: Clifton...
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...narrator walks down the street, he notices that the people of Harlem are energized over Clifton’s shooting. He feels a twinge of hope. He resolves to go see Brother Hambro that...
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...Ras points out the narrator and indicates that the Brotherhood is to blame for Tod Clifton’s death. He asks the narrator what the narrator plans to do to address the shooting....
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Chapter 25
...the men know for sure, but one implies that the riot started because of Tod Clifton’s shooting. The narrator is amazed that Clifton’s death has caused so much destruction. Another man...
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As the narrator searches through the basement, he burns Clifton’s Sambo doll for light. Next, he takes out the anonymous note and begins to burn...
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