MM Reviews: Invisible Man

“I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves or figments of their imagination, indeed, everything and anything except me.”

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison evolved into classic American literature, and a striking example of African American literature. Written in 1952 on the brink of the Civil Rights Movement, this novel provides an atypical perspective on civil rights. While we’re familiar with the stories of great triumphs made in the name of racial equality, Invisible Man tells a very different story. This novel tells the story of those who did not reap the benefits of equality and who did not see their lives dramatically altered, but instead remained invisible.

Ellison utilizes an autobiographical narrative style in this novel, which yields much of the story’s charm. That is, the protagonist of the story tells us about his life after it has already happened with insight and retrospective thoughts about what happened to him. By using this narration style, Ellison creates a very intimate story through his main character. Though we do not even know the protagonist's name, we know him inside and out as a person. We see him struggle with accepting his racial identity, and fight to live in a world not made for invisible men.

At face value, this is a novel about a disenfranchised man’s life, but more importantly, this novel is a symbolic statement about the nature of political change, nationalism and racism. Set in New York City, Invisible Man makes use of a bustling setting, even referencing real historical events such as the Harlem Riots.

While certainly untraditional, Invisible Man is a bildungsroman (coming of age story) that anyone can connect with, as all readers can identify with a struggle to find a nook in the world. This novel is emotional and gripping, and would make an excellent addition to your literary collection.

Special thanks to everybody dies; and tabula rasa. for editing this article.

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