Invisible Man
While walking the streets of New York City, the narrator comes into contact with a yam vendor. As the sweet scent of yams reaches the Invisible Man's nose, they "[brought] a stab of swift nostaligia." This wonderful smell takes the narrator back to a time when he was young and with his loved ones. The Invisible Man remembers the inocence of youth, as he and his classmates snuck yams into their class. At this thorugh, the narrator purchased a yam and as he devoured it, a "surge of homesickness that [he] turned away to keep [his] control." Ellison uses the yam to symbolize the South, the home that the narrator once knew and loved. These memories all led back to one person who had a tremendous affect on the IM's life - Dr. Bledsoe. As the narrator finished the remaining yams, he dreams of confronting Dr. Bledose and calling him a "shameless chitterling eater." Thinking of everything that had happened in his life, the narrator was filled with anger. This anger prompted him to laugh as he continued ridiculing Dr. Bledsoe. He began to realize that he did not care about what the docotro thought, in fact, he did not care abou
t eating in front of other people, even if it was something that was a typical African American meal. These new throughts brought with them a new intese feeling of freedom. The narrator begins to believe in a new philosophy, "I yam what I am." He begins to become proud of his heritage as well as everything that represents his culture. The narrator's awakening is complete, he has finally accepted who he truely is and is proud of his heritage. As one delves into the content of this eating scene, it is easily seen how it relates to Ellison's entire novel. The yam scene threads Ellison's main theme throughout the book. Earlier in the novel, a waiter asked the narrator if he would want the special which included grits and pork chops, a typical southern food. The Invisible Man takes offense at the suggestion and orders a completely different meal. This scene shows how the narrator denied his heritage and southern roots. While looking at the novel as a whole, it is easily seen how the yam scene relates to the Invisible Man's rebirth in chapter eleven. The narrator awakes from his coma without a memory of his past. This event
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 757
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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