Analysis of The Invisible Man by H.G Wells
Ralph Ellison was born in Oklahoma. From 1933 to 1936 he was educated as a musician
at the Tuskegee Institute. During that time he traveled to New York and visited Richard Wright,
which led him to write fiction. Since that time he has became a well-known critic; his articles,
reviews and short stories have been published in many national magazines. He won the National
Book Award and the Russwurm Award for the Invisible Man. His most acclaimed and only
novel; The Invisible Man is based on man who is just that Invisible, throughout the novel The
Invisible Man faces many obstacles throughout society, his invisibility is not physical but a
matter of not knowing where you belong , within the novel he attempts to find where he belongs
but all his attempts to find self worth all result in major consequences. Ultimately this tragic
unknown character faces many challenges to ultimately find who he is within.
Throughout the novel there are two recurring themes that convey the author's purpose,
which are Identity and Invisibility. The narrator describes his invisibility by saying, "I am
invisible ... simply because people refuse to see me." Throughout the Prologue, the narrator
connects his invisibility to things such as "the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus
sideshows." He later explains that he is "neither dead nor in a state of suspended animation," but
rather is "in a state of hibernation." (Ellison 6) This invisibility is something that the narrator has
come to accept and even embrace, saying that he "did not become alive until he discovered his
invisibility." (Ellison 7) However, as we read on in the story, it is apparent that the invisibility
that the narrator experiences, goes much further than just white people unwilling to acknowledge
him for who he is.
While searching for his true identity, the narrator frequently encounters different
people who each see...
