Closure
Throughout Invisible Man , the narrator is forced to move from one organization to the next, each of which have a different idea of what part Blacks should play in society. Near the end of the book, the narrator comes to realize just how easily manipulated he has been, and how following his grandfather's advice only made things worse. Despite his constant movement from setting to setting, the narrator's briefcase remains with him as a treasured possession. The items inside, meanwhile, are various trinkets obtained throughout his journey: his high school diploma, the shattered Jolly N bank, a paper with his Brotherhood name... In Chapter 24, though, the narrator is assaulted by a flock of birds and their droppings. He uses his briefcase to shield himself, quite unlike how careful he has been with the briefcase in the past. Later, when he falls into a manhole to escape Ras, he burns the briefcase's contents for light. What does all this mean? By burning the briefcase...