The Theme Of Racism In Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man

In 1945, Ralph Ellison wrote on his typewriter "I am an invisible man", and spent seven years exploring what that statement meant. Ellison described himself as a "Renaissance man" having studied photography, and training to become a symphony composer. At only eight years old, Ellison excelled in his musical abilities, playing the cornet and later in his life learning to play the trumpet. Ellison valued knowledge and wisdom and saw them as valuable virtues. Ralph Ellison lived in an era of individualism and new ideas, therefore he wrote The Invisible Man, a novel that features isolated settings, grotesque characters, and the theme of self-perception and the way others perceive you. In The Invisible Man, Ellison is inspired in his works by the events that took place around him and his life. African Americans faced tremendous amounts of disapproval, for Ellison it wasn’t any different and he had a difficult time growing up with being treated like dirt.

America placed their values on money, sex, and alcohol. There was segregation between the white and the black people, and black people were discriminated against. In The Invisible Man, racism is a key theme, it displays ow white men had no respect or consideration for black people. The nation was drowning in alcohol and their focus was completely on money. This materialistic view, racism, and demand for alcohol were a recipe for the perfect storm for another war. Americans were boldly trying new styles and ideas, women were wearing short dresses and bobbing their hair, cars were at the peak of their popularity, it all seemed to be going well for America. Then the stock market crashed, sending America into the downward spiral that was the Great Depression. The depression rattled the country and people realized how unstable the economy was and people were