Examples Of Conformity In Invisible Man

The Question of Conformity
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson. This short quote exemplifies the struggle faced by the main character in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Throughout the course of the novel, the narrator encounters a string of communities, each illustrating a microcosm of society as a whole. It is through these encounters that the narrator attempts to give his life definition. However, by adhering to the standards forced upon him, he discovers that his complexity as an individual is limited. The conflict arising from outward conformity provokes reflection. However, the tension between conformity and questioning illustrates how societal

The narrator’s beliefs lie in obedience, while Bledsoe holds to a much more complex interpretation. For example, after being accused of purposely taking Mr. Norton to the slave quarters, the narrator tries to explain his innocence, stating that “‘he asked me to’” (102). However, Bledsoe responds, “‘Damn what he wants… We take these white folks where we want them to go, we show them what we want them to see’” (102). This statement, which clearly illustrates Bledsoe’s conformist ideology, strikes a blow at the core beliefs of the narrator, causing him to question how his obedience to white authority could land him in such a predicament. Despite keeping “unswervingly to the path placed before [him],” (146) the narrator struggles to comprehend how his dutiful actions could lead to the destruction of his future. This shattering of beliefs forces him to adopt an even more stringent policy of conformism as he heads off to New York. However, his attempts at conforming to the expectations of the college fail miserably, furthering him along his path towards individual identity. This act of disenchantment is a step in the right direction on his path towards personal

It is with this organization that he is able to discern the ulterior motives of the white authority who have been stringing him along like a puppet. One such reflection occurred after he was presented to a Brotherhood associate named Emma. She asks, “‘But don’t you think he should be a little blacker?’... Maybe she wants me to sweat coal tar, ink, shoe polish, graphite. What was I, a man or a natural resource?” (303). Her comment reveals the Brotherhood’s intention of using the narrator as a means to achieve their goals, and the connections he makes between his own life and that of a “natural resource” emphasizes the utilitarian purpose he serves. Similarly, after a meeting with Hambro, the culmination of the narrator’s past experiences result in a moment of profound disillusionment. The narrator exclaims, “[Jack, Norton, and Emerson] were all very much the same, each attempting to force his picture of reality on upon me and neither giving a hoot in hell for how things looked to me. I was simply a material, a natural resource to be used” (508). This passage neatly summarizes the narrator’s struggle with identity. He finally sees that racial prejudices limit the complexity of his life to the rigid social structures erected by society. Over the course of his time with the Brotherhood, the narrator discovers that the prejudice of others creates a veil that only allows them to see what they want to