Ellison/Shakespeare There Are Many Characters in Shakespeare\'s

Ellison/Shakespeare

There are many characters in Shakespeare's The Tempest that could fit the characteristics of being the "little man behind the stove." The Tempest has a strong degree of dramatic irony, and Shakespeare even incorporates the breaking of the fourth wall in the final scene of the play. This means that the audience itself serves as the "little man behind the stove." However, there are clearer characters that represent the little man. For example, Caliban is "little" in the sense that he is a sort of subhuman creature. As the son of Sycorax, Caliban is portrayed as being a little bit odd and different. He is not like the spritely Ariel, who can also be considered as a "little man." Both Caliban and Ariel play roles that could be construed as being similar to that of Ellison's "Little Man at Chehaw Station." Caliban's role is even more like that of the "little man behind the stove" than Ariel's. This is because Caliban is set apart from Prospero as one of the clear antagonists of the play. Caliban is more of a technical observer like Ellison's little man than is Ariel, who participates more in Prospero's antics than Caliban. Yet neither Caliban nor Ariel completely meet the description of Ellison's little man behind the stove. Prospero is the ultimate embodiment of what Ralph Ellison was trying to convey with his essay "The Little Man at Chehaw Station." Prospero is a mysterious figure, whose self-taught powers of intellect and magic form the foundation of Shakespeare's play.

When Ralph Ellison wrote "The Little Man at Chehaw Station," he most likely did not have Shakespeare's The Tempest in mind -- in spite of his reference to Hamlet halfway through the piece. Ellison's essay is written to illustrate Ellison's own creative and personal psychological development. The author relays a story about his upbringing, during which his ego was shattered after a poor performance at a school music recital. When he speaks with Miss Harrison, Ellison has a transformation of spirit that he shares in "The Little Man at Chehaw Station." Harrison tells Ellison that they key to becoming a great artist is to practice as if there is always someone important listening. The audience should never be underestimated. Ellison notes that the man behind Chehaw's stove is one that appears to be poor and uneducated, someone who does not necessarily have any formal training. Yet the little man behind the stove has a natural talent for appreciating the arts. The little man at Chehaw Station is a poignant judge of the arts not because he has formal training so much as he has a keen instinct and sense of curiosity about the universe. He is a democratic audience, someone who has a progressive worldview. This describes Prospero to a tee. Prospero is the protagonist of the play, so he is not so much a hidden figure as Ellison's little man. However, Prospero has the most powerful mind of any other character in the play. He is exactly what Ellison meant when he described the metaphor of the little man as representing a diverse, progressive, perceptive, and changeable audience.

The little man behind the stove assumes almost godlike proportions, in the sense that he is aware of the artist's intentions on a level that even the artist might not be. When Ellison describes the little man behind the stove at the station, he imagines an invisible, powerful spiritual force. This force provides a creative impetus, which the artist can use to improve and develop his or her talents. An invisible force means that the artist has to seek and search, and constantly refine the methods used to communicate with the audience. In the case of Prospero, he is certainly refining his art throughout his life. The stories he tells that are about events prior to the play's action show that he has always been able to develop his magical powers and intellectual prowess, even while semi-isolated. Prospero is also the artist, who understands his audience. This establishes Prospero as a self-reflective character who is both the artist playing and the man behind the stove, listening.

Ellison also describes the little man using adjectives that could well be used to characterize Shakespeare's Prospero. The little man is a "connoisseur, critic, trickster," (p. 30). Prospero is every one of these three things: he is an avid collector of books and thus is a connoisseur of knowledge. He is a keen critic, with amazing insight into the inner workings of the universe and human psychology. Most of all, Prospero is a trickster. He manipulates others, but does not do so malevolently. For all his antics, Prospero is more of a mad scientist than a mean man. He keeps Ariel enslaved, but seems to retain a sense of purpose about his mission and the madness of his methods. Above all, Prospero lives life as art, which is also the role and purpose of the little man behind the stove.

Prospero is not American, which is what Ellison is trying to say about the little man at Chehaw Station. Being American for Ellison meant someone who is multicultural, and who understands both popular forms of art and more erudite ones. In this sense, Prospero is an American. He is an expatriate, as were many Americans during Ellison's time. Prospero is also familiar with the native language of island on which he has been stranded. His library shows that Prospero has a firm foundation in traditional forms of knowledge like European or Old World scholastic inquiry. At the same time, Prospero has become passionate about one of the more pedestrian forms of scientific inquiry: magic. Prospero fuses highbrow and lowbrow art in a way that Americans are famous for, making the Shakespeare protagonist one of the most American of Shakespearean heroes. Because Prospero can blend an elite sensibility with a pedestrian one, he fits the bill as being the little man behind the stove.