The Intuitionist

Colson Whitehead's "The Intuitionist" is an allegorical novel. I think he is using the Intuitionist elevator inspection industry as a metaphor for the African American race, but it is too early to tell. There are a few hints. One example is the description of the area "the Department has allowed the colored men" (18). Lila Mae sees one of Chancre's campaign posters on the wall and it has been graffitied by the "colored men." Whitehead writes, "No one notices them but they're there, near invisible, and count for something" (18). I took this as a metaphor for the African American race and the idea that their voice in the nation has been and still is ignored or invisible.
I also saw an argument against the literary "canon" which we have discussed in class. On page 21, Whitehead is describing Chuck's desire for being an elevator professor. He says, "His students should be acquainted with the entire body of elevator knowledge, not just the canon" (21). This was very interesting word choice and made me think Whitehead meant that people need to be more familiar with all literary voices, including African Americans, instead of just reading the so-called American "canons." I think he means to say that the canons are not really true American canons if they don't include the history, voice, and opinions of all Americans of every race. Whitehead uses the ideas of Empiricism and Intuitionism in elevator inspections as a metaphor for this.
We talked a little bit about how confusing the time frame for this book is. I think it could be taking place in the future even though it seems like the past. A passage that makes me think this is, "Because there must be patterns, experience is recursive, and if the pattern has not announced itself yet, it will, eloquent and emphatic in a mild-mannered sort of way" (28). I think this means basically that history repeats itself. If this is an idea in Whitehead's book, then it could be taking place in a future where history is repeating itself and elevators are once again something to wonder at.
The main theme I see so far in this book is isolation, especially the isolation Lila Mae feels. She feels as if she is invisible. When the two men come to her apartment and search it for evidence, she feels completely violated. "She doesn't feel as if she lives here anymore...She doesn't live here" (40). This is a huge hint of isolation and a feeling of dislocation. Also the subject of the white characters being Irish brings in another factor of that feeling of dislocation. These will be the main ties to the allegory, I think.