WAEC Literature in English 2021 Theory — Question 5

Model answer

Points to develop: relation to theme; character identification; Mary's character; Mary's role; significance. Invisible Man centres on the theme of self-identity, which the narrator seeks throughout the novel, treated by a racist American society as a non-being. Mary Rambo is a 'big, dark woman' and landlady in Harlem who rescues the narrator from a faint after his factory discharge. She is kind-hearted, humane, compassionate, and almost motherly, assisting the narrator when he is nearly suffocating and offering emotional and practical support. Without Mary, the narrator may not have survived after leaving hospital or would have been without accommodation. Through her nature, Mary nurtures the narrator physically, psychologically, and spiritually, encouraging him to 'make something' of himself and be careful — though even this goodwill does not overcome the stark effect of the narrator's invisibility.