Invisible Man :: essays papers

Invisible Man Invisible Man: Ralph Ellison Ralph Waldo Ellison was born in Oklahoma on March 1, 1914. From 1933 to 1936, Ellison attended Tuskegee Institute, intent upon pursuing a career in music. Like the protagonist in the novel, Ellison grew up in the south, then later moved to New York City. In New York he met the leading black figures of that day, such as Richard Wright and Langston Hughes, who he said encouraged his own writing ambitions. Ellison became associated with the Federal Writer's Project, where he published short stories and articles in such magazines as New Challenge and New Masses. Since 1970, Ralph Ellison has been professor of the humanities at New York University and has lectured extensively on black folk culture. The influences of his early interests in music helped to create a richly symbolic, metaphorical language of his novels, which he is most known for. In his works, Ellison well-spokenly describes the problems of American racism that continue to plaque the country in all areas today. In 1952, Ralph Ellison's novel The Invisible Man gave voice to the feelings of many black Americans who felt that they were not "seen" by American society. The novel won the National Book Award in 1953 and was also published two years before the Supreme Court ruled the Brown vs. Board of Education to outlaw separate but equal education in America. While the Civil War freed the slaves, it did not integrate blacks into the American mainstream. As did so many from this generation, the nameless protagonist of Invisible Man leaves the South for New York City. Here he becomes a pawn for a political group, and he discovers he is not seen as an individual human being. After becoming involved in a Harlem riot, he realizes that he must deal with people of both races. He also realizes that many people see him as a Black Man, and therefore his real nature is unseen by them-- this makes him "invisible". Many times, people, often introverted and alienated from the rest of society, have found themselves in situations in which they are on the outside looking in. These people often have a feeling of being "invisible" and unidentified to the rest of society and therefore undergo a need to search for their identity in order to be recognised and have a place at the "social table". In this particular novel, our character which calls himself the "invisible man", is faced with the challenges of being a young African American male from the south, living in the north, who encounters a number of baffling experiences while on the road to self-discovery.