Invisible Man

                 Invisible Man follows an unnamed young black male through contemporary America – from his incredibly naïve high school days to the inevitable discovery that he is truly invisible. No matter what achievements the narrator makes, he is only perceived as what others want him to become. Ralph Ellison begins his novel by acknowledging the state of invisibility not only this character lives in, but also that of the African-American male experience. Any man, in these words, “is invisible by virtue of how others react to him;” he can only portray the clown for so long before he is thrown into the pile of old discarded toys. In turn, the invisible man eventually finds the power to flash and matter – even in his own superstar mind – in a racist society that predetermines black leaders and abandons them to be alone and confused.

            Ellison begins Invisible Man at the end because his narrator is retelling his journey from being someone with incredible gifts to just another invisible soul. As a result of accepting others’ answers of what he was looking for or to become in life, the narrator discovers being black in a very racist America, both blatant and subtle, is the condition he has to live with. For example, he obviously could not enter a “whites-only” bathroom because the large sign outside said so; however, the battle royal itself is a sort of racism in the sense that black males will pummel themselves for a small amount of change thereby allowing the animal-like stereotype to continue. To Ellison, white

America hops, skips, and takes a joyful glee through the park seeing no one but itself whereas black America feels it has to put on a dog-and-pony show just to make a whimper! Even so, “irresponsibility is part of being invisible; it exempts the narrator from being accountable for his actions (Ellison 14).

            Throughout the novel, the boy is haunted by his grandfather’s dying words:  “Son, after I’m gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but…overcome ‘em with yeses, undermine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction, let ‘em swoller you til they vomit or bust wide open”(Ellison 16). Originally intended as instructions for how to adapt to white America and succeed for not only himself but also the race. The reason for the grandfather’s speech is because he felt he had sold out by staying in his place, keeping his mouth shut, and bringing up his son in the same manner. Break out from the box, he advised. The wish that the narrator would create his own direction instead of following the same Uncle Tom-esque path already laid down for him was one not only from desperation, but also the way life needed to be lived.

            Dreams seem to play a significant role throughout the novel. After all, the narrator does envision himself as a second Booker T. Washington; with his naïve desires to serve as the white man’s welcome mat and simultaneous wish of leading his people to freedom in addition to a more equal playing field. More often than not, dreams just got the narrator into more trouble. A prime example is the same wonderful speech he gave at his high school graduation in Greenwood, Oklahoma. He could not give it word for word to the important white men in what is assumed to be Tulsa as he presented it to his black counterparts the day before because the men did want to hear about social equality, especially in the American South. Others’ dreams have also falsely led the narrator from the presumed top to the another level of invisibility, including Brother Jack’s comment “You were not hired to think” (Ellison 469). An explanation for his grandfather’s curse “keep the nigger-boy running” is no matter how far the narrator goes, he will still have to be twice as successful as his white counterpart to even obtain a first look. This way he would have to persevere, in so many words. Unfortunately, he has to do more running than he ever imagined.

            Black Americans experiment with left-wing politics for the very reason conservative right-wing and moderates vote and affiliate with the Democratic and Republican parties:  to get their voices heard. During the 1950s and 60s, Communism opened another way of thinking for blacks because the two major parties only paid lip service to them. For many bold citizens, including Richard Wright and Langston Hughes, any form of affiliation that promoted some sense of black nationalism and pride would suffice.

            Liberty Paint is perhaps the crappy job that actually builds the narrator’s character, who cannot really discern what is right or wrong. He is launched in a sea of facelessness left to lose his identity among the swarms of men to create “the whitest paint in America.” The paint is a symbol of ‘white is right’ and no matter what color the mixture went in, it was pure white at the end of the day. For him, being black in white America is something he tries to escape from, but his late grandfather’s stern words continue to keep him running. When the paint does explode in his face, it reminds him of his inability to conform to the dominating borders of society. Similar to the black English

major who follows the standard format and does his best all the time yet fails, the narrator finds himself ‘almost good enough’ only to find out no one can care less.

            At the final dream, the narrator finally realizes that all the progression and regression has brought him to a figurative square one. His grandfather’s words have kept him running, the Brotherhood that once applauded him has turned its back against him, and true to form, Norton walks past him as if he were truly invisible. The modern-day figures discuss his arrival to New York, rise and fall as an orator, and share a common invisibility not only for themselves, but also for society as a whole. Hence, Brother Jack’s true colors fly out leading to the narrator’s decision to hibernate from the world. This is when he finally comes to grips with his situation and is beset by the unhappy experience. He also learns that he indeed was bourgeois proving his once-“autocratic attitude toward other Negroes, especially when he has the support of the white community” (Frazier 76).

            In conclusion, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man remains out of sight even in this era. The narrator, who could very well be any of us, endures grief that no one cares to admit and finally learns what should have been instilled in him:  the right to pick and choose his own battles, and when to run. As always, the same characters will always exist in one form or another, not necessarily by race; they could have easily been white. But would Invisible Man be more believable that way? I doubt it, but upon seeing the struggle another black man has to endure, mine is a relative cakewalk.

Sources

Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. New York:  Vintage International. 1952.

Frazier, E. Franklin. “The Renaissance That Failed.” Images of the Negro In America.

            Lexington, MA:  D.C. Heath and Company. 68-76.