The Duality Of Invisibility In Robert Ellison's Invisible Man

Invisibility can be seen as both a blessing and a curse. It can be used to profit in the most noble or cruel quests and in Robert Ellison’s “Invisible Man,” the duality of invisibility is explored through the eyes of a man fighting against racism. Ellison begins his tale of bigotry by introducing an unnamed man who blissfully accepts his place as part of an invisible race, where he is not seen as an individual but rather for the color of his skin. Later, as the character travels to New York, he becomes visible to his community as well as the scrutiny that comes with placing oneself in the public eye. At the heart of the novel Ellison further describes the complexity of humanity, how there isn’t solace in being seen or staying invisible. During

He was excited for the chance of becoming visible and showing himself to the world through the means of the Brotherhood. He worked hard and talked often, falling into the false pretense that by trying to do good for others he was not still being controlled by the white man. While the Brotherhood aimed to push social reform, it aimed to do so by their own terms and without the input of those affected by such social problems. The narrator failed to see such treachery until his visibility had begun to get him in trouble with gangs and his own leaders. This ignorance is shown by what the narrator sees when he talks to large crowds. When he gives his first speech, the narrator is blinded by harsh lights where he is unable to see faces, but rather the crowd as a whole. It is not until the death of a fellow brother and friend that the narrator is able to speak from his heart and sees more than the just the spotlight, but rather “the set faces of individual men and women” and in turn is able to understand why he speaks and to whom he is really speaking to (459). The narrator then begins to see how the Brotherhood suppressed him as a person and that even though the visibility of his voice grew among the people of Harlem, the invisibility of his ideals and traits as an individual became further