Invisible Man Report
Invisible Man: The Narrator’s Journey To Discover His True Self
In the novel, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, there is an ongoing theme of the discovery of oneself. Throughout the novel, the narrator (who is not given a name throughout the book) is always trying to figure out who he really is, and analyzing the many different characters that he plays. He starts out being an exceptional student with a bright future. Then just like that he is sent to New York City where he becomes just another poor black laborer, and then he becomes a well- known political spokesman, and in the end he realizes that he has always been an “Invisible Man.” The fact that the narrator was not aware of his invisibility until the end of the novel shows that during that time he was invisible to himself. Even though it took time, tragedy, and significant losses, the narrator finally realizes that the perception of him has been wrong his whole life. The story starts out with the narrator participating in the "battle royal" which took place at a hotel. The reason he was there in the first place was to deliver a speech on humility, and on the progress of the black people that he had given at his graduation. During this time he is still a hopeful scholar. He says on page 18 “In those pre-invisible days I visualized myself as a potential Booker T. Washington.” He believes that he is seen as an icon of what a black person can achieve. Because of this he is living the life that others have told him that he should live. The abuse in which the narrator is put through in the battle royal is the first sign for him that something may not be as it he believes, but he fails to do anything to change the narrator 's perceptions of himself. He could have gone on living the life, in which society has preselected for him, and he never would have realized his invisibility, but a series of events later in the novel started to change his perspective. A major event that caused the narrators life to
In the novel, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, there is an ongoing theme of the discovery of oneself. Throughout the novel, the narrator (who is not given a name throughout the book) is always trying to figure out who he really is, and analyzing the many different characters that he plays. He starts out being an exceptional student with a bright future. Then just like that he is sent to New York City where he becomes just another poor black laborer, and then he becomes a well- known political spokesman, and in the end he realizes that he has always been an “Invisible Man.” The fact that the narrator was not aware of his invisibility until the end of the novel shows that during that time he was invisible to himself. Even though it took time, tragedy, and significant losses, the narrator finally realizes that the perception of him has been wrong his whole life. The story starts out with the narrator participating in the "battle royal" which took place at a hotel. The reason he was there in the first place was to deliver a speech on humility, and on the progress of the black people that he had given at his graduation. During this time he is still a hopeful scholar. He says on page 18 “In those pre-invisible days I visualized myself as a potential Booker T. Washington.” He believes that he is seen as an icon of what a black person can achieve. Because of this he is living the life that others have told him that he should live. The abuse in which the narrator is put through in the battle royal is the first sign for him that something may not be as it he believes, but he fails to do anything to change the narrator 's perceptions of himself. He could have gone on living the life, in which society has preselected for him, and he never would have realized his invisibility, but a series of events later in the novel started to change his perspective. A major event that caused the narrators life to
Cited: Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. New York, Vintage International, 1947