ENG 1100 Project 3 Assignment Sheet: Invisible man by Ralph Ellison

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“Invisible man" by Ralph Ellison
When people feel uncomfortable with their surroundings, they opt to make some changes to cope with the situation. The invisible man by Ralph Ellison presents how a man learns to conquer his surround and lead a life for himself after being invisible. In this novel, the main character carries around a briefcase containing all his possessions and reminders that forms part of his learning experience. The invisible man is searching for his true identity, which he later discovers that his identity lies in the items he is carrying. But not from others peoples’ perception about him.
The author builds the theme of identity portraying a racist country where blacks do not have the true identity. Instead, they are perceived as receptors of white man's imaginations and fear. The story highlights the process how the narrator realizes that he and other black people in the society are invisible to the white's people and cannot easily succeed.
The invisible man is a story presented from a narrator’s perspective, talking about a black man struggling to live in a society dominated by white culture. It is through the prologue and epilogue, readers understand the meaning of Ralph Ellison’s invisible man. In the beginning, the invisible man tries to find his own identity as he lives in a complicated racist American society. As the story continues, we the narrator passing through a series of communities starting from the Liberty Paints to the Brotherhood. Each of these communities sanctions different ideas on how black people need to act. The narrators find it difficult living by imposed values and expectations.
The narrator had the desire that people would have a proper reflection of his importance, however his important is not significant to many people. In a way, he craves for attention and wants to be recognized as a special person in life. His search for his own identity pushes him to join the Brotherhood to identify himself with others who he thought could recognize him better.
The narrators meaning of identity from a universal perspective is different from what he experience. He gets the fame and recognition by be...