Random House published “Invisible Man,” a novel by Ralph Ellison, in 1952. This book examines a wide range of issues, including Black Nationalism, the relationship between black identity and Marxism, and Booker T. Washington’s reformist racial policy. Invisible Man, Ellison’s debut work, won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1953, making him the first African American to do so.
Invisibility
Because of racial bias, the anonymous protagonist wants to be viewed as an individual before he gets the opportunity to disprove anyone’s preconceptions. It is the narrator’s goal to establish an identity that will make people proud, thus, he continuously rejects his genuine self, his culture, and ancestry. While in high school, he tries to hide his Southern roots while also trying to blend in with “white manners and ideals.” When he arrives in Harlem, Rinehart adopts a new alias, but this just serves to further distance him from his genuine nature. Eventually, though, the narrator realizes that invisibility isn’t always a negative thing. With Rinehart’s help in disguise, he learns that one can pursue one’s own ambitions without others’ expectations interfering. He had always felt that success would come from doing what people wanted him to, but as Rinehart, he now pursues his own interests and reaps the benefits of that. The narrator also learns to change society by becoming “invisible.” How can an invisible man be held accountable for his actions? This is a question raised in the novel’s prologue.
Ideology’s Drawbacks
It’s not just racism that limits the narrator’s inner complexity; it’s also their more general ideals that do it as well. He believes that the ideology of institutions is too basic and one-dimensional to serve a subject as complicated and multidimensional as human identity. For example, the narrator’s college student friends subscribe to the more moderate, ingratiating philosophy of Booker T. Washington; Ras the Exhorter, on the other hand, advocates a more militant and separatist ideology. The Brotherhood, though, is where the text really shines. Though they claim to be saving “the people,” the Brotherhood’s philosophy continuously restricts and undermines the freedom of the individual. In the novel, the narrator expresses his admiration for jazz, which he considers to be a form of inventiveness and surprise, implying that life cannot be neatly contained within an ideology.
Visibility
When the storyteller is no longer visible, the things he has done are lauded. The narrator’s speech at the Battle Royal is the first thing readers see. No one knew who he was, but because he “makes a nice speech, and someday he’ll lead his people in the right direction,” the state college offered him a scholarship. His “destiny” was to drive Mr. Norton, and he was known as such while doing so. At every turn, Mary Rambo told the narrator how the narrator was going to do amazing things for the black community. All of these are examples of how the narrator’s genuine nature may be seen, even when he is a complete stranger. As soon as no one realized who he really was, the real him came out. Prior to any of the Brotherhood’s ideologies or claims about what is and isn’t scientific, he possesses the ability to effectively communicate his ideas orally. The storyteller, on the other hand, is completely anonymous when he’s in view. He has vanished.
Power and Self-Centeredness
The narrator runs across a number of influential organizations and people throughout the book, all of whom are determined to keep control over the course of events. Beginning with his first meeting with the white power elite of his town, our narrator learns firsthand about their hypocrisy and lack of self-awareness when it comes to their racist and sexist behavior in private. When the storyteller speaks the word “equality,” they immediately prepare to destroy him. In order to keep control, these men tell themselves that they are good businessmen and community leaders, but this narrative conflicts with their narcissistic drive for power. Another group that employs a compelling tale to explain the world flawlessly is the Brotherhood.
The self-interested motivation to consolidate and preserve power at any cost is present in the black community as well; the only difference is that they are constrained by white tyranny. While Dr. Bledsoe is a person of great importance to the protagonist, it turns out he is more concerned with securing the authority he has built for himself than with the ideas of humility and cooperation he preaches. As time goes on, Rinehart comes to symbolize a similar drive among the black community: the cynical attempt to benefit in the short term by taking advantage of the ignorance of others.
Ambition and Admiration
Admiration fuels ambition in the Invisible Man. It is the narrator’s goal to one day serve as Dr. Bledsoe’s assistant because he admires him. Ambition and admiration both waver and disappear by the end of the novel, just like they did in the beginning. At the end of the book, the narrator’s goals couldn’t be regarded as ambitious at any point in the story. Because he lives in a predominantly white culture, his aspirations are frequently thwarted. At the outset of Invisible Man, the narrator’s adoration for Dr. Bledsoe and Mr. Norton is very evident. By the end of the book, the narrator has no respect for anyone. He has to rely on himself after Dr. Bledsoe and Mr. Norton were revealed for the poor role models they are.
Desire for Knowledge
Either by performing experiments or by posing questions, one might amass knowledge in this context. The pursuit of knowledge is so consuming for Griffin that he abandons his studies in order to learn about light and optics until he creates invisibility. Additionally, Mrs. Hall is eager to learn more about Griffin. As a result, she continues to fidget with him until he loses his cool and then leaves him without gaining anything from the relationship. After that, she keeps an eye on him using Fearenside. A close and personal examination of Griffin’s hands is all he has to go on. If Griffin doesn’t share his expertise with the public, Dr. Kemp says, he’ll have to deal with their hostility.