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Blindness In Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man

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Recommended: Explain the "motif of blindness" as it affects various characters in the novel "Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Love is blind. Some say this with a positive or negative connotation. Positive in the sense that it allows you to see past a person’s flaws; Negative in the sense it prevents you from seeing the person’s true colors. In many occasions, people are blinded in a negative way. The blindness causes one to create their own image of the other person, causing an unhealthy relationship to form. With enough time, what's done in the dark comes to light; meaning, eventually a light will bring sight to the person’s true identity. Some take this lesson and apply it to future experiences while others have a harder time understanding their lesson - much like the narrator did. In Ralph Ellison's novel, Invisible Man, the narrator had this unhealthy relationship with his boss, Dr. Bledsoe, which affected future relationships he had; and due to his inability to move on, he had difficulty growing as a person until he realized it was time to break his cycle. While in college, the narrator idealized the principal, Dr. Bledsoe. In fact, everything he did, he kept in mind how it would affect Dr. …show more content…

Bledsoe: Brockway and the leaders of the Brotherhood. Of the two, the brotherhood leaders resembled Dr. Bledsoe the most and it showed through the way the narrator connected with them. Without question, the narrator changed his identity and did as he was ordered to do. All of it was justified in his mind due to his perspective of the Brotherhood. In his eyes, the Brotherhood was working to better to the lives of young black men. This was the Brotherhood’s intention but not the way the narrator perceived it. The Brotherhood wanted to improve the lives of the African American community but not to the extent of their organization. If it came down to it, the organization had no problem taking down anything and anyone who stood in their way of success. The narrator soon realized this and it sparked motivation for change for

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