Use Of Irony In Invisible Man, By Ralph Ellison

- The tone of the first two paragraphs are detached and solemn. The protagonist states that his invisibility is not physical but due to those around him who can not see him, it might as well be; “That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact” (Ellison, 3). Also he adds, “I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids-and I might even be said to possess a mind” to show that people refuse to acknowledge his presence though he has the elements that make up a human. Through the two paragraphs, the protagonist is illustrated as a person disenfranchised by society and he has come to accept his invisible existence, “It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen.” …show more content…
2- The irony behind his encounter with the blonde man is that the protagonist’s claim of invisibility is revealed to be his own decision and it is a psychological state that he is in instead of physical. A person cannot be invisible and yet, be acknowledged by others. Due to the insults by the blonde man, the protagonist lashes out unto him violently and attacks him, demanding an apology from him, and kicked him. He came close to ending the life of the blonde man, until he came to a realization that the man had not seen him. The next day the Daily News claims that the attack was a mugging and the protagonist states “Poor fool, poor blind fool, I thought with sincere compassion, mugged by an invisible man” (Ellison, 5). This quote is ironic because this shows that the blonde man perceives him as a human and not an “invisible