Invisible Man

In class, we discussed who Ralph Ellison was influenced by in "Invisible Man." Although it says in his introduction that he wished his story to be "read simply as a novel" and not taken as a "statement," I feel that his point of view subconsciously spilled out onto the pages. Readers can see this when the beginning of the text describes the "invisible man" accepting his transparency for the moment, suggesting a Booker-T.-Washington way of thinking. "...I am nobody but myself. But first I had to discover that I am an invisible man!" (Ellison 2430), he says. Conversely, the narrator is like Du Bois in the way he gives his speech in front of a menacing crowd and earns a scholarship. Towards the end, he seems to recognize the meaning of his grandfather's dying words; he respects his memory, but pursues on with school, although apprehensively. The author seems to have his protagonist quit his dream of being educated and ultimately decide that Booker T. Washington had the correct ideals for his race. He illustrates this by talking about his dream of his grandfather and the brief case: "It was a dream I was to remember and dream again for many years after. But at that time I had no insight into its meaning. First I had to attend college" (Ellison 2440). So, as he had gotten older, he realized that his grandfather was right to say they needed to stay at the level they were, in order to progress.

I admire Ralph Ellison for accidentally making a statement, although I do not necessarily agree with him. He was a seemingly modest person who felt so strongly about his oppression that one of his greatest novels became a discussion in which carried on for many years. In a way, it serves as an in-your-face towards all the people who ever told him he wasn't capable of doing something, and I greatly respect that. In a way, he did get a chance to finally fight back.