Invisible Man

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Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man observes a young unnamed narrator as he recounts his journey in discovering his own invisibility. In his struggle with existentialism, the narrator is faced with racial discrimination and the inability of others to recognize him as an individual, rather than a tool to manipulate or just another member of his race. The narrator is repeatedly manipulated and defined by society, and depends on various systems to give his life purpose. Ellison presents many themes in the novel, such as racism, existentialism, blindness and invisibility, all of which are subtly introduced in the opening chapter. Each of these themes gain definition and solid presence as the story progresses, but one seems to be more all-encompassing and prevalent than the others: Existentialism.
The narrator introduces his story with an existentialist statement that echoes throughout the rest of the book: “All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was…I was looking for myself and asking questions which I, and only I, could answer” (15). In retrospect, the narrator realizes his naivety, and reflects upon his life to identify what caused all the trouble: His grandfather’s dying words of, “I want you to overcome ’em with yeses, undermine ’em with grins, agree ’em to death and destruction, let ’em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open” (16) . He realizes this is where the trouble began because he was carrying out his grandfather’s advice in spite of himself; he was acting with obedience and humility, doing exactly what the white men wanted him to in order to achieve progress. He follows the demands of others to receive praise and success, but in the p...

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...st speech on behalf of the brotherhood, it is announced that “for the next few months, [the narrator] is to undergo a period of intense study and indoctrination” (351). To them, the narrator is a blank slate, or a tool to manipulate for the benefit of the Brotherhood; their intentions are to essentially reconstruct him into who they want him to be, and he has no control.
Over the course of the novel, the narrator’s identity and purpose are changed time and again by forces beyond him. His grandfather’s words are the root of his existential crisis, and set him on a path of subconscious self-destruction. Each powerful person he meets after that serve only to morph the narrator’s identity to fit their desires. All things considered regarding the main character’s ever-changing identity, it’s clear that existentialism is a very significant theme presented by the author.

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