Alexandria Valenti
Dr.Wesley
LIT222-01
11/9/16
What’s being “invisible”? In Ralph Elisons book Invisible Man, Elison incorporates several symbols into his novel. Each symbol provides a different perspective on the novel and constantly supports the themes of identity and the thought of being invisible. The narrator struggles to find his own identity. He has to put on several “masks” because he doesn’t know which person he wants to be. This is complicating for him because he is an African American man that’s living in a white privileged time era. Therefore, explaining several symbols throughout exploring including, the paint, the coin bank, the doll, the brief case, and the idea of blindness. The narrator is on a verge to find himself, …show more content…
Blindness reoccurs throughout the story and represents how people tell the truth and will avoid seeing things they don’t want to see. The narrator expresses that people can see what they want to see and people can see what they wish not to. Jarenski agrees with this concept, “Because Ellison reconceives the marginalized position of invisibility as powerful, he raises questions about which cultural forces make invis- ibility a viable, even desirable, choice. “(Jarenski, pg.85) This has an effect on having invisibility, which is very powerful. Not finding yourself and finding your identity can be hard, people will judge you which will make you want to put on that mask and hope to remain blind or invisible. Many characters refused to acknowledge themselves or their community around them, not just in the book but in our lives too. People refusing this acknowledgement reflects the imagery of blindness. With that being said, those who fought in the battle wore blindfolds. I believe that this symbolized how they had no power to recognize white men belittling them and over ruling them with power. Ellison does experience his moments of blindness. For example, in chapter 2 he explains “Sundays, our uniform pressed, shoes shined, minds laced up, eyes blind like those of robots to visitors and officials on the low, whitewashed reviewing stand”(Elison,pg.36) This image of being blind to the world and what is happening around
Dr.Wesley
LIT222-01
11/9/16
What’s being “invisible”? In Ralph Elisons book Invisible Man, Elison incorporates several symbols into his novel. Each symbol provides a different perspective on the novel and constantly supports the themes of identity and the thought of being invisible. The narrator struggles to find his own identity. He has to put on several “masks” because he doesn’t know which person he wants to be. This is complicating for him because he is an African American man that’s living in a white privileged time era. Therefore, explaining several symbols throughout exploring including, the paint, the coin bank, the doll, the brief case, and the idea of blindness. The narrator is on a verge to find himself, …show more content…
Blindness reoccurs throughout the story and represents how people tell the truth and will avoid seeing things they don’t want to see. The narrator expresses that people can see what they want to see and people can see what they wish not to. Jarenski agrees with this concept, “Because Ellison reconceives the marginalized position of invisibility as powerful, he raises questions about which cultural forces make invis- ibility a viable, even desirable, choice. “(Jarenski, pg.85) This has an effect on having invisibility, which is very powerful. Not finding yourself and finding your identity can be hard, people will judge you which will make you want to put on that mask and hope to remain blind or invisible. Many characters refused to acknowledge themselves or their community around them, not just in the book but in our lives too. People refusing this acknowledgement reflects the imagery of blindness. With that being said, those who fought in the battle wore blindfolds. I believe that this symbolized how they had no power to recognize white men belittling them and over ruling them with power. Ellison does experience his moments of blindness. For example, in chapter 2 he explains “Sundays, our uniform pressed, shoes shined, minds laced up, eyes blind like those of robots to visitors and officials on the low, whitewashed reviewing stand”(Elison,pg.36) This image of being blind to the world and what is happening around