Identity In Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952) is the story of an unnamed narrator as he recalls the past twenty years of his life. Throughout the book, the narrator details how these events shaped his identity as well as he viewed his country. From being a promising college student, to a paint factory worker, to a political leader in Harlem, the narrator naively thought that he was on the road to prosperity and respect. However, time and time again he would be removed from each job and have to start his life over from scratch. Instead of having a concept of his own identity, he realized that he spent those twenty years letting other people to tell him who he was or what they wanted him to be. In that time, the narrator lived his life in various states

Citizens of Harlem had turned on the group and several of its key members had gone missing. Later, the narrator witnesses one of the missing members gunned down by police. In his anger and daze following the shooting of his friend, the narrator recalled something an old professor had told him. “‘You’re like one of those African sculptures, distorted in the interest of design’ Well what desgin and whose?” (pg 440) Here, the narrator realizes the truth and complexity of that statement while also coming to terms with the Brotherhood’s failure to incite change in Harlem. Through all the rallies and meetings, the narrator’s performance as a spokesman for the black community inflated his ego and self worth. Despite him thinking that he was making a substantial difference, it turned out he was only acting out the role of the liberator while being wrapped around Brother Jack’s finger. Brother Jack along with the rest of the Brotherhood molded the narrator into exactly what they needed him to be in order to further their own agenda. Unfortunately, the narrator was too caught up in the excitement