The Invisible Man: Summary
In the novel, The Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, written
in 1952, a young black man's struggle to find an identity in a harsh and
very manipulative society is exemplified. The narrator's experience and
struggles are often expressed through the memory of his grandfather's words,
the people he has come in contact with, and the places ha has been. During
the course of his life, he has learned many valuable lessons, both about
society and himself. This is demonstrated by elements of the plot,
characters, setting, and the underlying theme, and the application of
foreshadowing. The moral message of the novel is as follows: You can never
judge a book by it's cover, because the narrator thought ...
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swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open." These words remain
imprinted in the narrator's mind throughout the book, although he never
fully understands their meaning. His grandfather's words eventually serve
as catalyst for his subsequent disillusionments, the first of which occurs
directly after he graduates from high school.
At this time, the narrator is invited to give a speech at a
gathering of the town's leading white citizens. The speech he is planning
to give expresses the view that humility is the essence of progress.
Subconsciously, the words of his grandfather prevent him from truly
believing the thesis of his own speech, but he gives it anyway. Instead of
being shown respect for his work, however, he is humiliated by being made
to fight blind-folded against other young black men, and then being shocked
by an electrified rug.(Nadel 24-25) He pretends not to be angered by these
events, yet his true feelings escape him for a moment when, while he is
reading his ...
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that
when he gets back into the car, he becomes sick and instructs the narrator
to get him a drink.
The narrator drives to a local bar and tries to buy a drink
to take outside to Mr. Norton, but the bartender won't let him. The
narrator is forced to carry the now unconscious Mr. Norton into the
bar.(Reilly 55) When Mr. Norton awakes, he is harassed by several mental
health patients, and leaves in utter disgust. When Dr. Bledsoe, the head of
the narrator's college finds out what happened, he expels the narrator.
When the narrator threatens to fight him, Dr. Bledsoe explains to the
narrator the true nature of his power. He tells the narrator that he
doesn't care if he tries to fight, ...
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"The Invisible Man: Summary." Essayworld.com. July 30, 2004. Accessed April 25, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Invisible-Man-Summary/11817.
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