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Summer Sharma Mr. Nevarez English 112 11/22/2013 Invisible Man Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison depicts a world of prejudice and racism though the eyes of an African American man who is finding his true identity though the course of the life lessons and people he encounters. This book is based on a good portrayal of American life in the 1930s. African Americans have been perceived as inferior due to the history of dehumanization they endured with the first encounter with white males as slaves. This initial encounter implemented a set mindset with whites that placed a negative stereotype that African Americans that they felt needed to be broken. In Invisible Man, the narrator has an established mindset where he believes working hard will allow him to achieve a higher position in society and education will help him gain recognition, but it is societys bias against him and his race that tarnishes his performance thus throwing the narrator into a downward spiral which results in him becoming a different person than what he sought to become in the beginning of his journey. In the beginning of the story, the narrator strives to be the embodiment of Booker T. Washingtons message. This is because he constantly strove to work hard and be humble without speaking against the white males in society. He firmly believed that humility and dedication to would earn him a high place in society. Because of this mindset he never questioned the people of higher power and at times even blamed his own actions as being something at fault. The blindfolds were put on. Yet even then I had been going over my speech (Ellison 21). This thought that was going on in the narrators mind is important because it shows, that in the

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beginning, when he was submersed in an unknown environment, where he should have been thinking about what was going to happen to his physical being, he still thought about how he could impress the white spectators with his speech. With this idea playing like a broken record in the narrators mind, it shows that he has a determination in the beginning of the book to excel as an educated African American man, and will stop at nothing to show that to the white people who constantly try to suppress him. Another quote that exhibits the narrators intentions was his thoughts in the initiation ring. The harder we fought the more threatening the men [white spectators] became. And yet, I had begun to worry about my speech again. How would it go? Would they recognize my ability? What would they give me? (24). The narrator was completely aware the white spectators were fueling the fight with the intent to embarrass and shame the African American men. Yet even with this reality the narrator only thought of when he could present his speech to them in hopes they would give him a college scholarship. This shows that his intentions were solely to gain a higher position in society through an education even when he faced death in Kinbros eyes, because to him that is where he would make a difference in his life. As the book progresses, the narrator gets expelled from college and seeks a job in New York in the hopes of returning after serving his sentence, yet it is at this point in the book where the narrator takes a completely different turn in mindset. We can see that the he changes his mindset from the initial idea of Booker T. Washington and switched from a humble and working hard mindset to taking the world by storm and finding ways to do what he loved. The pivotal event that changes breaks the illusion of going back to school was the sealed letter Dr. Bledsoe wrote. I say former because he shall never, under any circumstances, be enrolled as a student here (190). When the narrator reads the truth behind Dr. Bledsoes intention he leaves the office he was waiting in with an anger that throws his humble mindset out of the window. The narrator

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ponders what he could have possibly done to deserve such a punishment but with his hopes to return to the college crushed, realizes that he needs to work hard in order to become successful. Until he had actually opened the letter the narrator had the false idea that Dr. Bledsoe had every intention to take him back to the institution and allow him to continue his education after he had paid his dues in the flowing year. It was when he read the contents of the letter did the narrators dream shatter and did he realize that he couldnt break the normalcy of the racial stereotypes by gaining an education. This is because Dr. Bledsoe had no intention on accepting him back to the school after his time allotted. We can see a change in the narrator, because no longer did he follow Booker T. Washingtons ideals, he decided to find ways to work hard in order to become successful in the work force and please the white men that way. Ellisons critique on this situation is that even if someone was to work hard and succumb to the people of higher positions like the narrator did, he will still not excel to the top of society unless the people of higher class allow him. This also shows that there are only a select few who rise to power, and unless the narrator separated himself from the crowd, there is no way an African American could achieve a high position in society though Booker T. Washingtons advocacy. A last point in where the audience can see the total transformation of the narrator is when he joins the Brotherhood. Whilst giving his first speech he states, I feel suddenly that I have become more human (346). The narrator realizes that he feels the most alive when he can talk to crowds and voice his opinion. This completely goes against his philosophy in the beginning of the book when he was too scared to express to the white people exactly what he thought. He shied away when he stated, social equality instead of social responsibility even though he had a chance to express exactly what he wanted. This shyness however, was not present towards the latter part of the book when the narrator actually sought a job in preaching and advocating for

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what he believed in, in society. He also states a crucial piece of evidence in saying, I feel more human and this is because it allows a reader to ponder the question if he was actually himself of a programmed robot who tried to break his grandfathers curse. We can see that the narrator is taking a more robust approach to gaining social equality now through public speaking something where no education was needed, rather only a passion. With this we can see that he is trying to break the societal mold all African American were placed in, but is taking a different approach.