Exiled In The Invisible Man

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Exile can be an interesting place for a character to be in. It can free them or it can trap them. In the Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the main character experienced both. The first time he was exiled, he was trapped and needed to leave for New York. The second time that he was exiled, however, he was freed. Both times the main character was exiled, it had two very different outcomes but both exiles freed him and also trapped him in their own separate ways. The first time that the main character was exiled, the main character was first trapped. He was sent away from college and had no choice in any decision that he made until after he found out about what was in the letters. The instructions that the main character was given before he was sent to New York trapped him into still following Dr. Bledsoe’s instructions until he freed himself from it. The main character was also freed in this exile because he was away from his past. The physical distance that was put between the main character and people like Dr. Bledsoe and Mr. Norton allowed him to be free of the people …show more content…

He was freed because he cut all ties with the Brotherhood and they had no control over him after that. It allowed him to do whatever he wanted without facing persecution for his actions or having his actions policed by other people. The main character was also trapped in his exile because he was physically trapped in a hole, and he was stuck as an invisible man. When Ras’ men chased the main character into that dark hole, he was trapped. He didn’t know how to get out and it was so dark that he couldn’t see everything. He eventually got out, but at that moment of exile, he was trapped. He was also trapped in his invisibility. After that moment of exile, the main character realized that he was trapped as an invisible man and the only thing he could do about it was accept his invisibility and use it to his

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