Theme Of Racism In The Invisible Man

In the novel, Invisible Man, the author, Ralph Ellison addresses the social issue of racism through the lens of an African American man. The narrator, also known as the Invisible Man, struggles with his identity as a black man in a prejudice mid-twentieth century America. Many of the events in the novel correlate with the constant struggle of racism in society. Racism has always been a major social issue, especially during the mid-twentieth century, in which the novel takes place in. Ralph Ellison’s decision to leave the narrator nameless, allows the narrator to detach himself from the story, while still allowing him to give his own personal perspective on the racial issues of the mid-twentieth century. Throughout the novel, the narrator travels …show more content…
In the Invisible Man, the narrator encounters different racial stereotypes through the different social groups, ultimately affecting his own individual identity. Throughout the novel, the narrator is faced with the constant social struggle of racism. In every event, a certain community, such as the Liberty Paints factory, has their own specific notion of how blacks in America should act. The different opinions of racial subjects, affects the narrator’s own search for his identity. The constant theme of racism plays a major role in the identity crisis of the narrator. In the Invisible Man, the narrator struggles to find his place in society due to the racial issues of the time seen during the Battle Royal, his time working for the paint factory, as well as the different racial stereotypes seen throughout the …show more content…
Fervently speaking, he does not even realize that the men are still making fun of his wounds, and injuries due to the horrid, boxing match. However he continues on with his oration but while speaking, he accidentally says the words “social equality”, instead of the words “social responsibility.” The crowd fills the room with hostile remarks, and the narrator realizes that he has spoken the words oftentimes “denounced in newspaper editorials, heard debated in private” (Ellison 31). Frightened, the narrator goes on and corrects his mistake. Once he finishes, the crowd applauses him, and the invisible man feels a sense of acceptance from the white community. The outlandish, and hostile remarks demonstrate the accepted ideas of racial segregation by the white community, and this ultimately affects the narrator’s thoughts toward his own personal role in society. Afterwards, the narrator receives a thunderous applause, and he forgets all about the degrading acts he was forced to participate in during the Battle Royal. He is so overwhelmed with the reaction from the white society, he is conflicted with the struggle of finding his own identity. The reaction from the crowd demonstrates the idea of the stereotypical roles of blacks in which the white culture at the time, expected the blacks to be subject to certain racial responsibilities. After receiving the accolades from the crowd, the