Invisible Oppression In Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man

It is easy to understand that oppression is ingrained in the yesteryears of American society, from low to middle to upper class. In some ways it still exists today, deep within our social lives and constructs. Although it may not be incredibly present in everyday life, it covers over us all, like a thick fog, hanging out of reach, taunting those who are looked down upon and subjugated. In author Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man, the main character himself struggles with this very concept on a near daily basis. Coping with this invisible oppression is difficult for him, but over time, it begins to define who he truly is, giving him identity through the prejudice. Markedly, toward the end of the novel, Ellison initiates the main character’s understanding of said oppression in a dimly lit setting, the perfect atmosphere for an inner awakening of the protagonist. As the narrator walks down a New York street dressed as a totally different man (Rinehart), his eyes and ears open as the truth of his very being is unveiled unto him. He thinks to himself “It was quieter now. No one paid me any special attention” (Ellison 493). To understand this, the reader has to first …show more content…
This line is peculiar, as it may display the narrator's invisibility or his blindness toward the white man. Perhaps he speaks of the artifice of the narrator and Rinehart, and how they both seem to exist and not exist at the same time. In the grand scheme of things, this final sentence demonstrates that the narrator has been trying to find his place this whole time. He was simply looking in the wrong direction in society, while Rinehart and the solution to his invisibility were facing the exact opposite way, waiting for him to open his eyes and see past the racism and disillusionment of his