Invisible Man, published in 1952 by Ralph Ellison, explores the struggles of a fictional African American. In a reality where white people were the dominant race, black people searched for ways to achieve racial equality within society. As evident in the novel, opinions differed on exactly how equality would be acquired. One prominent voice among them was of Booker T. Washington - who believe that black people, instead of focusing on civil rights, should focus on elevating themselves through industrious work which will eventually earn the respect of white people. Ellison, throughout his novel, effectively criticizes Washington by employing allegorical interpretations of visibility and through defining his characters in a way that would directly …show more content…
In the novel, the narrator reads excerpts from Washington’s Atlanta Exposition Address, while the whites surrounding him laugh and taunt him along the way. This directly goes against Washington’s optimistic beliefs as the narrator is not taken seriously even when given a chance to speak and when he does so diligently. In other words, the author believes that Washington has underestimated the lasting effects of racism. The narrator, after the speech, is awarded a scholarship once the whites see him as favorable, but berated as soon as he starts to develop an independent voice. Hence, the “respect” that the black race may earn through diligent and obedient acts only touch the surface in the end. In addition, Mr. Norton, the respected, seemingly benevolent man, is in reality interested in Trueblood only because of the possibility of benefitting himself through it. Dr. Bledsoe is exposed as hypocritical as while he appears to aspire to solve the struggles that his own race suffers through, his only interest is maintaining his position and respect within the predominantly white society, which does not help contribute in any way to the ongoing