As this novel slowly unravels, Ellison has decided to introduce the theme of identity, and many of the characters are subject to this pursuit of a personal identity.
During this first part of the narration, the narrator seems to be suffering a complicated fight within him. When he was young, he was strongly affected by his grandfather's dying words. He had always been known as a quiet, pleasing man, but before he died, he confessed himself to be a traitor, and commanded his successors to "keep up the good fight" (16) against the enemy. It seems that, though nobody wants to see it, the life of a black man during that time was a war. Whether he refers to war against discrimination and the oppression of the dominant white men can be inferred. The issue is that the dying man realized he had been a traitor to his own cause, and now wanted his descendants to avoid that. This moment is a great disturbance in the narrator's life. He lived his life as a role model in that hierarchical society, but his grandfather's words would haunt his actions. This dilemma would interfere with the understanding he had of himself, and would lead him to pursue his own identity. How could he live without becoming a traitor to his grandfather in the world which required his absolute conformity?
The encounter with Jim Trueblood would be an even greater disturbance, as he questions what is best for him. Apparently, Jim's actions were deeply hurtful to his family and all of his community, but it earned him a better treatment from the whites. This situation, apart from being Jim's personal dilemma, is a reflection of the narrator's problems as well. It leaves the lingering question of what his actions might bring upon himself. If he hurts his people, then will the white men favor him and vice versa? The grandfather’s words echo behind this question. How can he avoid becoming a traitor?
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