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Invisible Man Analysis Essay

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Wisal A. Ibrahim AP Literature and Composition 24 May 2023 Invisible Man Analysis Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man explores the complexities of self, systematic racism, and social invisibility. Published in 1952, Ellison's novel follows the nameless narrator, an African American man who struggles to find his place in a racially divided society. Ellison's exploration of the historical context, as revealed through multiple symbols, along with the unreliable narrator, exposes the invisible chains that constrain the African American community while illuminating hope for self-reflection and improvement. The historical context plays a crucial role in the understanding and development of the theme of the African American struggle throughout the novel. …show more content…

The novel is written in first person narrator, meaning that there is no other insight outside of the narrator, who serves as the main character of the novel. As a result, the information presented will inherently be skewed. Specifically, the narrator’s naivety plays a role in how certain events are introduced. For example, in Chapter 1, the narrator happily accepts the scholarship from the white men and does not cast doubt on their intentions, even though their use of racial slurs should have been enough evidence to cause hesitation. Because of his innocence, the narrator feels compelled to fulfill the societal expectations of the people around him, whether it be as a source of entertainment to the white men in Chapter 1 or as a cog of a machine within the Brotherhood. The naivety of the narrator also reveals that during the time period, African Americans did not have the privilege of being naive because they could be taken advantage of, whether by their own community or their oppressors. Naive or not, however, African Americans often had to lose a part of themselves in order to conform. The only way the narrator was able to grow and find his sense of self was when he had the experiences and wisdom to acknowledge the fact that he was being forced into a mold that did not fit

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