Invisible Man Blindness

In this essay, I will discuss Invisible Man's (1952) engagement with the notion of invisibility and the related ideas of blindness and sight. This Twentieth Century novel is written in first person narrative where he reflects on his past experiences. The title itself suggests the main theme of the novel: invisibility. In respect to the notions of invisibility and blindness, it is important to define what they mean in terms of the novel. In my interpretation of the novel, the term invisibility stands for humans whose personal identity is unseen. Blindness refers to people who do not see them as individuals. Thus, Ellison explores racism in an emotional way and not a superficial way. One also discovers in the novel that it is not only the blacks …show more content…
‘The "Prologue" states the central theme of the novel: the hero is invisible…because people refuse to see him.'(Reilly, 1970:49).The narrator explains how "The invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact. A matter of the construction of the inner eyes, those with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality."(Ellison, 1952: 3). This is the because the corruption of vision is present in the whites eyes who's insight is flawed. Here one can also see that invisibility is related to reality and that reality is also a problem. The narrator states how "you wonder whether you aren't simply a phantom in other people's mind." (Ellison, 1952: 4). And it is because of this treatment that he says: "You ache with the need to convince yourself that you do exist in the real world…" (Ellison, 1952: 4). Ellison is trying to portray that by the quality of his invisibility, the hero is driven to convince himself of his existence in the real world and in doing so desperately tries to get others to recognise he …show more content…
Invisible man "is a novel in which the symbolism of vision provides the dynamism and momentum of action, the motivational insight, the resolution of conflict." (Reilly,1970:49). It is also seen that only near the end of the novel he becomes free when he discovers who he is. Even though he chooses to remain invisible because he realizes it is actually an asset and a form of protection. One understands that it is the blacks ‘high visibility' that is the cause of their invisibility. Once the hero starts seeing he begins to understand reality through the self and recognizes the endless possibilities the world has to offer. Ellison makes use of symbolism and metaphors to explore blindness and invisibility. These two concepts are essential in order to reveal interracial experiences and the search for personal