Power In Invisible Man

Throughout the novel, Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, power is an important aspect in almost every relationship formed, and the power of white males in particular is a recurring theme throughout. The whites seem to have control over everything, even when they are not seemingly present, for they have learned how to discreetly control society. Throughout the novel the narrator goes through a power struggle against several characters such as the white men form the Battle Royal, Mr. Norton and other white benefactors, Brother Jack and the Brotherhood, and even black figures like Bledsoe and Clifton, who only had power through the grace of the white men. There are many types of power portrayed in this book, and usually, this power is misused for the benefit of the one who holds it. One of the first way the unbalance of power between whites and blacks is made …show more content…
The whole point of this event is to degrade the blacks for the amusement of the whites, who even trick them into frantically grabbing for what was actually fake and electrocuting them. The Battle Royal is one of the best examples of how whites view African Americans and demonstrates that the white men are more than willing to sacrifice the well-beings of the ten youths for entertainment. Throughout this passage, the author emphasizes the decadence and immortality of this particular group of white men how have complete say in what the blacks do. Such phrases like “slug him” and “kill him” are shouted throughout the whole fight, further illustrating the barbarity. Another example of power is that the narrator is only able to say his speech at the grace of the white and when they want him to say it, but only after he is thoroughly injured and degraded, for their enjoyment. The whole