Invisible Man Double Consciousness Analysis

In his concept of double consciousness, DuBois presented the problem of racial servitude and the struggle of African Americans who were forced to see themselves through perspectives of whites at the same time trying not to forget their own identity. The protagonist Invisible Man had realized about his double consciousness only at the end of his journey. At first, he did not know who he really was and he did not realize that whatever identity he was taking, was not his choice but a choice of others. Subconsciously he was performing as others wanted him to. His first encounter with double consciousness was during the trip with Mr. Norton to the Golden Day bar. The two characters were told by one of the veterans who happened to be in that bar

Our next protagonist, Thelonious Ellison, although living in the twentieth century, seventy years after Bigger Thomas and nearly fifty after Invisible Man, he still suffered from racism. The oppression he experienced was slightly different from the one the two previous protagonists suffered. Yet it proved to be equally destructive on our character. Although being able to go to school, create art, mix and live among white man, Monk still had to put up with the stereotypes assigned to black men. Though the form of racism was less physical, it deeply affected Monk. It turned out that white society was still unable to get rid of the skin color from their minds, it seemed like it associated the person and assigned him or her to a certain way of behavior, or even way of living one’s life. His coming to terms with the two-ness in him started when he was a little boy, who did not fit into the expectations of the society. He pointed out himself that he felt “out of place”, that he was not what others would assume “black enough”. As he stated, he was not good at basketball sport all black people are supposed to be good at, neither was he a good dancer. Monk tried to nullify the geographical and class foundations of the cultural identity of most African Americans when he openly stated that “he did not grow up in any inner city or rural south” PAGE. From the early age, Monk was fighting with his two-ness and was trying very hard to challenge the stereotypical way of perceiving him. The fact that his grandfather, father, sister and brother were all highly educated and successful in their professional lives, that he graduated Harvard, proved that the time indeed healed some aspects of racism in America and African Americans were finally able to receive basic rights such as right to education, freedom of speech, and success. Nevertheless, Monk’s