Invisible Man- Ralph Ellison

A detailed Summary of Invisible Man- Ralph Ellison

To create a clear and concise essay, a discussion of identity and invisibility is needed. Thankfully Ellison provided a helpful prologue in Invisible Man so the reader is also not left in the dark. However, at this time it is also appropriate to discuss the epilogue as well. The prologue and the epilogue differ significantly because narrator has had a chance to grow, learn of his invisibility, and accept his invisibility. Once he accepts it, he is no longer blind. In the beginning the novel, the speaker speaks of a hole and a darkness that surrounds him. The main metaphor in the book is the Invisible Man's journey and stumbling out of the darkness.

The Invisible Man is a black man living in turbulent racial times. Although a date is never given one can surmise from the language, context, and other references that the novel takes place around the 1930s or 1940s. The setting is what makes the book move. Without the racial difficulties there would be no story. The Invisible Man begins telling his story while he is a college student down in the far South. As the story continues he ends up in New York. The Invisible Man happens to be a great speaker and one day he happens across an older bla

When the novel first opens, the reader is flung into a graphic story of a fight where several colored men were blindfolded and placed into a ring to fight until one is left. The Man is second man left in the ring but that is basically irrelevant because it is the fact that the white councilmen ask him to speak for them that is key. As a thank you for speaking, the men give the Invisible Man a shiny, new, leather briefcase. Throughout the rest of the novel it is the briefcase that the Man holds onto. It contains memorabilia from his childhood and he ends up running with it towards himself and away from where he has been. This point of view is very effective because the reader can feel the pain, the confusion, and loneliness of the Man as he discovers himself.

'I laughed, suddenly taken by the idea. "Because, Mr. Norton, if you don't know where you are, you probably don't know who you are. So you came to me out of shame. You are ashamed, now aren't you"' (578)?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even halfway through the novel I started to recommend Invisible Man to my friends. It has a strong message with a story line that does not want to be set down. It does require though, a nice change from some contemporary works without much intelligent thought process required. It would have been much more powerful if the grandfather was explained in more detail or repeated several more times throughout the book. It would also help if the first one hundred pages could ha

Some common words found in the essay are:
Booker Washington, ASHAMED Norton, Invisible Man's, Thankfully Ellison, York Invisible, Ralph Ellison, book invisible, Ralph Invisible, invisible reader, ralph ellison,

Approximate Word count = 1024
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels