The Invisible Man Analysis

The Problematic Youth of a Transitional Age - An Investigation of The Invisible Man In his book The Way of the World: the Bildungsroman in European Culture, Franco Moretti describes the transition from stable, traditional societies, to more sporadic modern societies as a "problem". The "problem" itself refers to the dissolution of apprenticeships between generations, and as a result, the movement towards a future more uncertain but also more free. The unidentified narrator of The Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, is a prime example of an individual caught in the transitional phase of Moretti's two societies. Ellison's narrator finds himself torn away and thrown back into multiple apprenticeships, all while being haunted by his grandfather's
Rather than abandoning the apprenticeships, the narrator's "mobility" refers to multiple apprenticeships existing at once. The narrator's first major identity crisis occurs during his time at college, where he aspires towards a role in society akin to Dr. Bledsoe's, or as the narrator himself phrases it: "[Dr.Bledsoe] was the example of everything I hoped to be" (Ellison 79). The narrator at this point still believes that whites are above blacks, and that in a way, the highest point of success for a black person would be to reach the point right beneath a white person, such as Dr. Bledsoe. In seeing Dr. Bledsoe so close to the white folk of his time, the narrator assumes that Dr. Bledsoe is the definition of success - a leader, powerful, respected, and not nobody. This traditional understanding of society led to the narrator's self imposed apprenticeship under Dr. Bledsoe. It is noteworthy to mention that whilst under this apprenticeship, the narrator does feel a sense of betrayal when he recalls his grandfather's words - that by striving towards acceptance by white people, he is not following his grandfather's words, and by doing so, he feels trapped between his obligation as an apprentice, and his desire to choose his own path and follow in what he
Bledsoe and Brother Jack. And in doing so, still finds himself in a form of apprenticeship. This raises the question as to whether one can ever not be in an apprenticeship. In a way, Moretti's version of the traditional apprenticeship refers to a passing on of a role within a family, and his modern apprenticeship refers to an exploration. The narrator seems to be stuck halfway between the two; he does follow people unrelated by blood, but also allocates a "fatherly" tone to Jack, hinting at a familial apprenticeship of sorts (Ellison 363). Moretti's model doesn't fit completely but still holds value, seeing as the transitional state of the apprenticeship is only appropriate, given the transitional state of the culture at the time. This is a clear example of the previously mentioned idea that society is a mere expression of the individuals within