Identity In Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man

The identity of people is the mental representation of themselves. The formation of this mental image is formed throughout an individual's life from birth to adulthood. Personal and social identity can be developed through participation in different activities, membership in various groups, or having a special talent. However, for black males and females in the 1920s, their identity have not been fully developed because they grew up in a white dominated society where blacks are negatively stereotyped and controlled in the general population. Planting an individual's social status since birth and having an individual's freedom suppressed hinders the development of their own personality and identity. The narrator in Invisible Man by Ralph
After being placed in an environment of people of similar background and had "opened up more envelopes" back in his home town, the narrator loosens up and begins to appreciate his cultural tradition. For example, when the narrator purchased Carolina yam while walking on a street. "They're my birthmark," I said. "I yam what I am!...Humiliated by our own heritage and determined to imitate whites. How wild and childish, to be ashamed of who you are and what you like to do!""(266). The narrator begins to fade out of his phase of self-perception by others and begins the phase of self-development where the narrator learns from trial and error in the Brotherhood. With connection with Brotherhood, the narrator first acted based his own instincts after the death of Tod Clifton. In the funeral for Clifton, the narrator was suppose to give a speech about Clifton in a political manner. However based on his observations of Clifton shortly before his death, the narrator wanted to talk about Clifton as an individual and as a human being. The narrator realized the true intentions of the organization after his suspicions about his smooth transition and