Invisible Man by Ellison

A detailed Summary of Invisible Man by Ellison

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is the epitome of oppression of the black race. It is the story of an educated black man who has been oppressed and dominated by whites all of his life. Within the covers of the book lie themes and episodes which support the idea that the white race is the supreme race. However, the main character, the narrator, demonstrates how complex simple and pure things really are.

The first episode selected regards Dr. Bledsoe and his betrayal of the narrator. Essentially the narrator's idol, Dr. Bledsoe is the president of the college that the narrator attends. A very trusting Invisible Man meets Dr. Bledsoe early on. It is during this first meeting that Dr. Bledsoe exercises his truly hypocritical nature. However, this is not realized by the naive narrator until later on.

Dr. Bledsoe's monologue describes his assumption that a black man demonstrates to a white person only what the white person wants to see. This assumption provides illumination and proof to the grandfather's saying, "...overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction, let 'em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open." It demonstrates how the blacks believe that the only w

ay to survive and do well with whites is to appease and patronize them. The quote is further strengthened by Dr. Bledsoe's quote to the narrator, "You're black and living in the South-did you forget how to lie?"

First, examine the components of the "optic white" paint. It contains black drops, and only when it is mixed does it form the perfect, bright white color. In essence, the author is depicting that to have the best society, a blend of colors and people is needed. Not only that, but the author also shows that in order for the whites to achieve their goals, they depend on the help of the black race. Without those black drops, the "optic white" paint would still be murky brown. In short, the best solution is a mixture or blend of components rather than a purely dominated solution.

This can be paralleled with the episode in Frederick Douglass's Narrative about how no matter what you thought, what the truth really was, or what really goes on, when a slave is asked by a white person how the master treats them, the best answer is to praise the master, because you never know who you are speaking to. Also, I believe this can be paralleled to George Orwell's 1984. 1984 is not so much about oppression among races, but classes. The lead character Winston Smith follows the rule of the grandfather from Invisible Man in that he believes the only way to survive is to tell the supreme class what they want to hear, not truly what he believes.

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Some common words found in the essay are:
It's White, Dr Bledsoe, Dr Bledsoe's, Ellison's Invisible, Ralph Ellison, Douglass's Narrative, Winston Smith, George Orwell's, Liberty Paint, Frederick Douglass, dr bledsoe, white paint, optic white, optic white paint, black drops, black race, white person, white race, dr bledsoe's, murky brown, naive narrator,

Approximate Word count = 994
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English