A Critical Analysis of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man

This essay offers a critical analysis of Ralph Ellison's novel, *Invisible Man*. The essay examines the core argument of the novel, which revolves around the marginalization of the African-American community due to their color, and the experiences of the narrator who struggles with invisibility and social illusion. The analysis explores the historical context of the novel, including the period of 1920-1930s, the changing racial laws, and the themes of Black Nationalism and the relationship between black identity and Marxism. The essay also highlights the narrator's search for identity, his experiences with racism, and his ultimate realization of his invisibility. The analysis also looks into the author's use of literary devices like tone, pathos and subjective point of view to create a compelling narrative. The essay discusses key events like the narrator's speech, scholarship, job at the Liberty Paints Plant, and his disillusionment with the Brotherhood. The essay concludes by emphasizing the novel's exploration of self-discovery and freedom, and its relevance to understanding the struggles of marginalized communities.

Running head: Critical analysis of the story
Critical analysis of the story
Name of the student
Name of the author
Authors note

Running head: Critical analysis of the story
Invisible Man is a novel written by Ralph Ellison was written in 1952 and was published
by Random House. The main argument presented in the topic is regarding the marginalization of
certain community due to their color. This novel represents the classic African-American, social
and intellectual issues experienced by people of color. This novel also bring forward the issues
regarding Black Nationalism, the relationship between back identity and Marxism on one side
the racial policies of Booker T. Washington on the other. The narrator of invisible man
experiences the reality is surreal fashion, as he says “see only my surroundings, themselves or
figments of their imagination”. This is because the identity of the narrator is invisible and he
continues to experiences reality in form of social illusion. This is the entire argument that is
repented in the book.
As given in the novel, the narrator was living in the south around the period of 1920-
1930s. Being a gifted speaker he was invited to give a speech amongst the white men in town.
The men rewarded him with a briefcase that contained scholarship to prestigious black college.
However after a long drawn struggle where he was pitted against other by young black men,
after white men forces him to scramble over an electrified rug and when the narrators dreams
that he finally got the scholarship, as it stated “to whomever it may concern”, he felt that again it
was his identify that was kept discreet and it “keep This Nigger –Boy running”. Again it was his
identity that he experienced through surrealism, in an illusion of social reality.
The purpose of this novel is show how black or men of color are severely exploited even
though the laws concerning the black were changing. This story reflect the time when things
were in transition, on one side there was age old traditional laws that restrict and marginalize the
entire community on the bias of their community and on the other hand the laws were changing
which were now allowing the every man with equal chance of opportunity. This was also one of

Running head: Critical analysis of the story
reason Mr. Norton dies in the fierce anguish, this reflects that the mindset of the people has not
changed even the changes were occurring in the political front. It is also surprising that the letter
the narrators receive painted him in poor color made him look dishourable and corrupt. This was
also one of the reason he was not getting job, however with the help of Mr. Emerson, he gets low
paying job at the Liberty Paints Plant whose trademark colors is “Optic white”. This symbols
satire s white logic against black man who actually makes the whet paints.
The audience by large is addressed in an informal tone, however the author uses certain
uses the second person effective in order direct make the audience aware of the happening in the
story vis-a0vis the social reality. The Story of Indivisible Man is just not the meant for
recreational entertainment but it is meant for those who refuse “to see”. The prologue is written
in an informal tine where everything is being narrated in the author’s point of view. This makes
the reader as though the authors personally narrating the entire story. Again the authors employ
strategic use of “you” which enables the audience to relate to the story. For instance, “you ache
with the need to convince yourself that you exit in the real world, that your are part of all the
sound and anguish”, owing to this kind of addresses it seems that the authors is trying to address
the directly to the audience. Along with the informal tone, use of pathos and the subjective point
of view the authors creative a story line which is quite engaging for its reader.
In the entire story, the narrator was looking for his self, he was determined to find
someone who will understand his self. Though the novel he was looking for his identity and
finally he understands that his self was in items. The story depict his struggle to self-discovery
and freedom, as he stated “I am not only Invisible, but formless as … well; and to be unaware of
one’s form is to live a death. I myself after existing some twenty years, did not become alive
until I discovered my invisibility”. Even though he did not realize the subtle play that existed and

Running head: Critical analysis of the story
has rosy ideas that things are changing he valise that his identity is still invisible. However bring
invisible also has its perks and he decide to live the life of being invisible underneath the
mankind in the hole.

Running head: Critical analysis of the story
References
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible man. Penguin UK, 2016.