Have you ever wondered why birds fly into glass windows so often? According to the Humane Society, when birds are flying towards a window, they only see the reflection of their surroundings so they believe they’re safe to fly, when in reality, they’re certainly not safe. The narrator in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man has similar perceptions as a bird, except his false perceptions don’t lead him crashing into windows, they lead him crashing in society. After the narrator gets kicked out of college and moves to New York City, he’s faced with obstacles he’s never had to experience before. He’s never experienced the ability to be free and he doesn 't know how to react when he does. Throughout his journey of self-discovery in New York, he comes in
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Ellison uses glass in general to show how identity can be distorted through different types of glass. Through glasses, Ellison proves that while they’re normally used as an aid for eyesight, they are also used for finding clarity of one’s identity. Even though glasses are used to help eyesight, they are nonetheless man-made and stripping away the natural image of the eye. A person who has glasses only sees artificial images, not the natural ones their eyes produce. Ellison uses windows as a symbol for the barrier between personal freedom and expectations. The image on the outside of a window isn’t pure because it’s filtered through an object that is unnatural. Society’s expectations aren’t pure because they corrupt the natural progression of person’s individual identity. The glass eye serves as an obstruction of internal and external sight; similar to glasses, the glass eye is man-made and inflicts on a person’s natural way of being, therefore, warping their reality which restricts them from finding themselves. In all of the quotes, an essence of color is present, symbolizing personal expression. Colors create a vivid image full of endless possibilities, just like a person. By incorporating colors, Ellison incorporates intangible freedom of expression. All of these examples of glass are breakable just like any other type of glass. When glass breaks, it shatters into numerous pieces. When the system of society breaks, it shatters and is impossible to put back together; so just like the purple and silver thistle, when the glass enclosure of society is broken, there is room for growth and new
Ellison uses glass in general to show how identity can be distorted through different types of glass. Through glasses, Ellison proves that while they’re normally used as an aid for eyesight, they are also used for finding clarity of one’s identity. Even though glasses are used to help eyesight, they are nonetheless man-made and stripping away the natural image of the eye. A person who has glasses only sees artificial images, not the natural ones their eyes produce. Ellison uses windows as a symbol for the barrier between personal freedom and expectations. The image on the outside of a window isn’t pure because it’s filtered through an object that is unnatural. Society’s expectations aren’t pure because they corrupt the natural progression of person’s individual identity. The glass eye serves as an obstruction of internal and external sight; similar to glasses, the glass eye is man-made and inflicts on a person’s natural way of being, therefore, warping their reality which restricts them from finding themselves. In all of the quotes, an essence of color is present, symbolizing personal expression. Colors create a vivid image full of endless possibilities, just like a person. By incorporating colors, Ellison incorporates intangible freedom of expression. All of these examples of glass are breakable just like any other type of glass. When glass breaks, it shatters into numerous pieces. When the system of society breaks, it shatters and is impossible to put back together; so just like the purple and silver thistle, when the glass enclosure of society is broken, there is room for growth and new