One problem the narrator faces is that he cannot quite figure out his identity. The reason he is invisible is because he purposely isolates himself from society so he is able to understand who he is. One of the first times the narrator faces an identity conflict is when his grandfather on his deathbed shouted at the narrator, “Our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days…” he felt like he was dishonoring his grandfather by the way he was acting. Another occasion occurs when the narrator is chauffeuring a white benefactor. He was being subservient and respectful. The author, Ralph Ellison, places the grandfather in the mind of the narrator to cause him to be in a state of confusion. His identity is complex because of the history
