Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison | Summary & Analysis

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Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth analysis of the plot, characters, themes, and symbols in Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man.

Download the free study guide and infographic for Invisible Man here: https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Invisi...

Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man illustrates the difficulties that blacks faced in integrating into white society and provides dramatic insight into the internecine struggles that defined African-American political life in the early 20th century.

The unnamed narrator is torn between the revolutionary politics of an emergent black nationalism and warnings that he ought to appear subservient to whites to stay safe. Vacillating between the two, he finds that he fits neither paradigm and must decide how these warring ideologies will determine the trajectory of his life.

African American writer Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man was first published in 1952. Part of its fame comes from the use of an unnamed narrator: the main character whose true self is invisible to both the outside world and to himself.

The novel contains many powerful symbols, such as Mary’s Bank representing racial expectations that black men must “perform” for white charity, a briefcase representing slavery’s “baggage” on Modern African Americans and optic white pain representing society’s demand to hide “blackness” in order to be successful. Themes include ambition, social roles, colors, and individuality.

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