Invisible Man Essay: Searching for Black Identity in a White World

occult Man probing for Black Identity in a White World Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man was published at a time when America was racially divided. The novel presents the division of the lack of black identity a theme supported by the fact that the protagonist, Invisible Man, has no constitute. The reader knows the label of Dr. Bledsoe, Ras-the-Exhorter, Br separate Jack and others - but the reader does not know the name of the main character. Ellisons leaves it to the reader to decide who he is and, on a bigger scale, how sinlessness America perceives black America. Ellisons use of people of color is interesting. He uses color to pedigree the differences between black and white America. Ellison describes the Tuskegee campus as a cosmea of whiteness, Dr Bledsoes wife as having a creamy-complexion, and the main characters lovers arm as superstar ivory arm flung above her jet-black hair. This contrast is used throughout the book and reminds the reader that race is an important cope in America. In Chapter 2 the main character is a subaltern in college and feels good about his life. Dr Bledsoe, the dean of Tuskegee Institute, assigns him to drive for an old white trustee named Mr. Norton and to make sure he gets to his meetings on time. On one particular day Mr. Norton asks the boy to show him around. Mr. Norton knows little of the surrounding area. This foreshadows hassle for the young man. What the boy failed to understand is that Dr. Bledsoe doesnt want Mr. Norton or any other white trustee to see the community surrounding the campus. Unaware of this the boy takes the first road he encounters and immediately they see a unfortunate black farmer named Trueblood. At a time when most blacks are living in poverty, Tru... ... the status quo, challenging the reader to see beyond skin color. Only through realizing the truth about race, gender, and class warfare can we, as a nation, free ourselves from the shackles of prejudice. Works Cited and Consult ed Bishop, Jack. Ralph Ellison. new-fangled York Chelsea put forward Publishers, 1988. Bellow, Saul. Man Underground Review of Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man. Commentary. June 1952. 1st December 2001 forthcoming http//www.english.upeen.edu/afilreis /50s/bellow-on-ellison.html Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. Vintage International. New York Random House, Inc., 1947. Fabre, Michel. In Ralph Ellisons Precious Words. unpublished Manuscript. 1996. 30 November. <http//www.igc.org/dissent/archive/ Ellison/early.html OMeally, Robert, ed. New Essays on Invisible Man. Cambridge New York Cambridge University Press, 1988.