Invisible Man by Ellison

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is the epitome of oppression of the black race. It is the story of an educated black man who has been oppressed and dominated by whites all of his life. Within the covers of the book lie themes and episodes which support the idea that the white race is the supreme race. However, the main character, the narrator, demonstrates how complex simple and pure things really are.

The first episode selected regards Dr. Bledsoe and his betrayal of the narrator. Essentially the narrator's idol, Dr. Bledsoe is the president of the college that the narrator attends. A very trusting Invisible Man meets Dr. Bledsoe early on. It is during this first meeting that Dr. Bledsoe exercises his truly hypocritical nature. However, this is not realized by the naļve narrator until later on.

Dr. Bledsoe's monologue describes his assumption that a black man demonstrates to a white person only what the white person wants to see. This assumption provides illumination and proof to the grandfather's saying, "…overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction, let 'em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open." It demonstrates how the blacks believe that the only way

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When he discovers that he is out of the drops that he is supposed to add to the paint mixture, the Invisible Man takes it upon himself to obtain more. 1984 is not so much about oppression among races, but classes. Bledsoe's quote to the narrator, "You're black and living in the South-did you forget how to lie?"

This can be paralleled with the episode in Frederick Douglass's Narrative about how no matter what you thought, what the truth really was, or what really goes on, when a slave is asked by a white person how the master treats them, the best answer is to praise the master, because you never know who you are speaking to. As it had been for centuries, the black race was being dominated and oppressed by the white race. However, the naļve narrator falls victim of the smooth-talking Bledsoe and issues Bledsoe his trust once again. He is able to locate two containers that contain black drops.

The fact that the paint has the reputation for covering up almost anything is symbolic of America's solution to many of our problems. In many of the events that happened to our narrator, the end result was in some form or another, oppression. Not only that, but the author also shows that in order for the whites to achieve their goals, they depend on the help of the black race.

"If it's Optic White, It's the Right White" This slogan bears much symbolism. An example is that many of our nations monuments are painted over with this "optic white" paint. In essence, the author is depicting that to have the best society, a blend of colors and people is needed. When the Invisible Man is taken to the buckets that contained a murky, brown looking substance, he is given the job of adding black drops to make the paint the "optic white". This paint is known for its ability to cover up or hide almost anything.

Approximate Word count = 994
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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