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How Does Invisible Man Relate To The Narrator's Identity

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Throughout “Invisible Man,” one of the most stressed elements relates to the narrator’s journey for uncovering his true identity for his ideas and who he is as a person, all with the limitation of racism and social inequality within the United States in the 1950s. However, the narrator struggles with this and rather to establish his character from personal thought, actions, and motives, he bases this identity almost solely on the perception of others. Ultimately, by settling to become “invisible” with members of society failing to understand his existence based on his skin color, the narrator’s molds this into his identity being forced upon him by others and society as a whole. Overall, the identity of an individual relates their connection with who they are as people, additionally as members of society and varying social communities. …show more content…

Along with the racial injustice the narrator and other African Americans experienced during the 1950s leading up to the Civil Rights Movement, this extended metaphor for being perceived as invisible and not noticed simply due to the shade of one’s skin demonstrates to be the most notable element of the novel. Furthermore, extending from the fact that the narrator willingly isolated himself from society in a basement, there also lies the importance the significance with the absence of the narrator's family and parents throughout the novel. Considering realistically, parents play the key part in being their children’s main influence and decision makers up until they move out of their house. For the narrator, even at the story of his high school graduation ending, there appears to be no parent idol present that can help the narrator be familiar with personal attachment with other people and even general assistance financially and emotionally. The only mention of any mother or parent figure lies with

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