The Invisible Man
The novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is the story of a black man and his insights into his place in the world as a black man in a racist society. Throughout Invisible Man, the main character, who narrates the novel, comes to a self-realization by means of his encounters with the individuals he meets. The narrator tells the reader of his journey through life; he walks the reader through the treatment he receives while growing up. Many characters in the novel mistreat the narrator because he is black. Many of these encounters can be compared today. In countless ways racism has decreased since the printing of the book in 1952, but there is still much room for improvement. In Chapter One of the book, the narrator is sent to a hotel for a gathering of the community's white leaders to give a speech. He and a few other boys at the gathering are given instructions to box each other, and afterwards to pick up money off of a rug they find (only too late) is electrified. Also, during his speech the narrator is ignored and laughed at. Before leaving the meeting, the narrator is given a briefcase and told that someday it will hold "important papers that will shape the destiny of his people". The narrator finds later that the br
Although he does not help the narrator as much as he probably can, Emerson still aids the narrator in getting a job. Emerson will be able to give him a job. Although the narrator was not totally comfortable with himself in the beginning of his life, by the end of the novel he realizes that being the person everyone else wants him to be. Only through completely open eyes and minds will Americans have the opportunity to see every person for what they have to offer this world, not what they have to hinder. The hospital staff will not stand around and contemplate if the patient is "good enough" for surgery. Thousands of Americans thought that white people were the only people who knew what they were doing in life; they believed any other race was of no importance. This example shows that there were some good race relations during the 1950's. All around him are people in white. If this same event had occurred today, many things would be different. In spite of African Americans, Asians and other races achieving things like Congressional office, there are still those who believe that white is the only "right" race. Instead of being strong and independent, he follows along with the belittling and ridiculing that the white office holders put him through. Though there are still racist people in the present day, the conversation that the doctors have in the hospital could never happen today. Although Emerson is the son of one of the trustees of the college, there is not much he can do for the narrator except refer him to Liberty Paints. The white leaders at the meeting expressed their racist feelings openly without worrying about how their thoughts would affect the narrator.
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Acceptance Essays
