Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man

In the introduction of Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison contrasts the two environments in which he spent most of his time writing this novel in. Both of these environments take place in New York, but their exact location and atmosphere are factors that distinguish the two from one another. According to Ellison, a Fifth Avenue suite “worked wonders for [his] shaky self-confidence” (viii). In this encouraging environment, Ellison was able to further develop the complexity of this novel. A suite on Fifth Avenue would suggest that Ellison is surrounded with people of high society, who would rarely intervene or question his chosen career as a writer. Whereas in Harlem, Ellison states “it was clear that I was not of the group of professionals who lived

From his description of his time spent in this part of New York, it’s apparent to the readers that the suite is an environment that’s both encouraging and disorienting. Ellison describes his first time in the complex were welcomed with questionable eyes, but as he became more frequent those eyes no longer paid him much attention. With the absence of prying eyes constantly watching him, Ellison was able to progres his novel without many obstacles, but with such a positive environment he also felt he wasn’t able to write his character accordingly. His time spent writing in his Harlem apartment wasn’t as encouraging as his Fifth Avenue suite, but it did guide him to stay true to the type of character his is trying to write about. Ellison describes how his neighbors tends to be noisy and would often make unkind comments such as how he “lived off the earnings of his [wife]” (ix). In his neighborhood, many were not afraid to express their strong dislike towards Ellison’s occupation as a writer. In contrast to the suite’s work atmosphere, his Harlem neighbors act as reminders as to how he should write his novel in a way that will touch readers and be able to describe another side of this time period that isn’t often presented to readers by other