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Invisible Man

By Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. The Life of Ralph Ellison. 1914: Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Father: Construction Worker Mother: Domestic servant and volunteer for a the local socialist party Grandparents: Slaves

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Invisible Man

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  1. By Ralph Ellison Invisible Man

  2. The Life of Ralph Ellison 1914: Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • Father: Construction Worker • Mother: Domestic servant and volunteer for a the local socialist party • Grandparents: Slaves 1933: Studied Music at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama (Now Tuskegee University) Founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington

  3. The Life of Ralph Ellison 1936: Left Tuskegee Institute and moved to Harlem, New York Employed at the Federal Writer’s Project Befriended important American writers and artists of the era: Langston Hughes Richard Wright Albert Murray (jazz writer and sociologist)

  4. The Life of Ralph Ellison • Editor of the “Negro Quarterly” • Later joined the Merchant Marines (WWII) • After the War: • Won a Rosenwald Fellowship • Used the scholarship to write Invisible Man

  5. Musical Influence • As a youth, he befriended a group of musicians who later joined Count Basie’s band in the late 1930’s • Studied the cornet and the trumpet • Planned career as a Jazz musician

  6. Invisible Man in Context Style: Shifting and Improvisational based on jazz performance Tone: Realism to Surrealism Genre: Tragedy to vicious satire to near-slapstick comedy

  7. Invisible Man in Context The Novel: • 16 weeks on the bestseller list • Won the National Book Award (1953) • Many critics called it “the most important American Novel to appear after World War II

  8. Existentialist Influences Existentialism: Explored individuality and meaning in a seemingly meaningless universe. Existentialist writers who influenced Ellison: Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre Ellison adapted the existentialist universal themes to the black experience of oppression and prejudice in America

  9. Influences • Booker T. Washington: Through the character of Dr. Bledsoe, the novel rejects the philosophy of Booker T. Washington • Blacks should work toward economic success before demanding racial equality • Marcus Garvey: Exemplified by Ras the Exhorter • Focus on Black Nationalism

  10. Ellison’s Writing • Invisible Man was his only published novel • He published two books of essays“Shadow Act “(1960’s) “Going to the Territory” (1980’s) For two decades, he worked on another vast novel which he never finished He left 2,000 pages of unedited, incomplete manuscript. Heavily abridged and edited, it was published fiver years after his death as Juneteenth

  11. Invisible Man: Key Facts • Time and Place Written: Late 1940’s – 1952; New York City • Date of first publication: 1952 • Publisher: Random Houser • Type of Work: Novel • Genre: Existentialist novel; social protest novel • Language: English

  12. Invisible Man: The Novel • Setting: (Time) 1930’s • Setting (Place): A black college in the South; New York City, especially Harlem • Tense: Past , with present-tense sections in the Prologue and Epilogue • Tone: Bitterly cynical, optimistic, anguished, respectful • Narrator: An unnamed black man in the first person • Point of view: The narrator’s • Protagonist: The narrator • Antagonist: The narrator’s difficulty understanding his own identity

  13. Invisible Man: Plot Overview Prologue: • Narrator refers to himself as “invisible man” • Hides from the world • Lives underground and steals electricity from Monopolated Light and Power Company

  14. Plot Overview Late 1920’s or early 1930’s • Lives in the South • Group of White Men give him scholarship to prestigious black college • Must first fight in the Battle Royal • Pitted against other black men • All blindfolded • Boxing ring • Forced to scramble over electrified rug to snatch fake gold coins

  15. Plot Overview Three years later… • Student at college • Hired to drive Mr. Norton around campus • Wealthy white trustee • Talks incessantly about daughter • Strangely interested in Jim Trueblood’s story (Poor uneducated black man who impregnates own daughter) • Takes Norton to the Golden Day – a saloon and brothel that serves black men • Norton passes out, a veteran attends to him and taunts Norton and IM about their blindness to race relations

  16. Plot Overview Back at the college: • Listens to long, impassioned sermon by Reverend Homer A. Barbee • Barbee glorifies the college's Founder • After the sermon: • Bledsoe chastises the narrator • Bledsoe believes that Norton should have been shown idealized version of black life • Expels IM giving him seven letters of recommendation

  17. Plot Overview Harlem • IM looks for work without success • Goes to the office of a trustee named Mr. Emerson • Emerson’s son opens the letter and reveals the betrayal • The letters portray the narrator as dishonorable and unreliable

  18. Plot Overview Emerson refers IM to the Liberty Paints Plant • Trademark color: “Optic White” • Narrator involved in accident landing in hospital • White physicians seize the opportunity to conduct electric shock experiments • Narrator temporarily loses memory, leaves hospital and collapses on street • Black community member take him to a woman named Mary • Allows him to live rent free; nurtures his awareness of black heritage

  19. Plot Overview The Brotherhood: • Brother Jack offers IM position as spokesman • Political organization that allegedly works to help the socially oppressed • IM trained in rhetoric by white member of the group and goes to his assigned branch in Harlem • Become high profile figure in the organization • Meets Ras the Exhorter (Marcus Garvey) • Opposes the interracial Brotherhood • Believes black Americans should fight for their rights against all whites • Seduced by a white woman at a women’s rights gathering • She has sexual fantasies about being with a black man

  20. Plot Overview The Brotherhood: • Many black members quit • The Harlem community believes the Brotherhood betrayed their best interests • The narrator meets Clifton on the street • Sells dancing Sambo dolls • No permit to sell his wares • White policemen accost and shoot him while IM watches • IM holds funeral an gives speech portraying Clifton as a hero which galvanizes public sentiment in favor of Clifton

  21. Plot Overview • The Brotherhood: • Furious at IM for staging funeral without permission • Jack’s glass eye falls out • The narrator leaves • Vows revenge on Jack and the Brotherhood • In Harlem: Neighborhood agitated over race relations • Ras sends his men to attack the narrator • Narrator disguises himself in dark glasses and hat • People on the streets confuse IM with Rinehart (a pimp, bookie, lover and reverend)

  22. Plot Overview Brother Hambro: • IM goes to Hambro’s apartment • Hambro cynically declares that people are tools • The larger interests of the Brotherhood are more important than individual interests

  23. Plot Overview • Sybil • Close to one of the party leaders • IM flatters and seduces her to gain information about the Brotherhood • Sybil knows nothing of the Brotherhood • Uses IM to fulfill her fantasy of being raped by a black man

  24. Plot Overview Harlem • Ras incites a riot • IM and others set fire to a tenement building • Running from the scene, IM encounters Ras dressed as an African chieftain • Ras calls for IM to be lynched • IM flees and encounters two policeman who accuse him of stealing loot from the riots • IM falls in a manhole, the police mock him and place the cover over the manhole

  25. Plot Overview Epilogue • IM acknowledges that he has stayed underground ever since • Comes to the realization that he must honor his individuality without sacrificing his responsibility to the community • He finally feels ready to emerge from the underground

  26. Invisible Man Themes: A. Racism is an obstacle to individual identity • IM’s search for identity is hindered : He is a black man living in a racist society • All communities (including Liberty Paints and the Brotherhood) have different ideas as to how blacks should behave in society • Each idea limits IM’s complexities as he is forced to play an inauthentic part • Symbolically, people are blind: They see him only as they want to see him. • Narrator embraces his invisibility – thinks it will help him defy stereotype • Ultimately, he finds this tactic too passive • He emerges from his underground “hibernation” and contributes to society • Forces others to acknowledge that his behavior contradicts their racist ideas.

  27. Invisible Man Themes B. The Limitations of Ideology • IM realizes that ideologies advance by institutions are too simplistic to describe or change something as complex as human identity • Examples • Booker T. Washington: tame and ingratiating • Ras the Exhorter: violent and separatist • The novel criticize ideology most strongly in its depiction of the Brotherhood which promises to save “the people” but actually limits individual freedom. Ellison implies that life is too rich and unpredictable to be bound up neatly in an ideology

  28. Invisible Man Themes • There is danger in Fighting Stereotype with Stereotype • IM meets many blacks who think there in one right way to be black in America and that anyone who does not act this way betrays the race

  29. Invisible Man Themes IM’s Grandfather: In order to undermine racism, blacks should exaggerate their servility to whites. Dr. Bledsoe: Black should work industriously and adopt the manners and speech of whites if they want to succeed. Ras the Exhorter: Black should seize freedom by destroying whites

  30. Invisible Man Themes • Although these ideas come from the black community, Ellison argues that they are just as dangerous. • IM believes that human identity is complex and indefinable • Bledsoe and Ras try to cram themselves and everyone else into one-dimensional roles. • By trying to restrict and choreograph the behavior of the black American community as a whole, they betray their people.

  31. Symbols in Invisible Man The coin bank (chapter 15) • The shape of a grinning black man • Depicts the stereotypical good slave who fawns over whites for trivial rewards The Sambo Doll (chapter 20) • Dancing black doll • Image of the Sambo slave who, according to white stereotype, is lazy and obsequious • Illustrates a stereotype’s power to control, as the doll is is literally controlled by invisible strings Both symbolize degrading stereotypes and the damaging power of prejudice

  32. Symbols in Invisible Man The Liberty Paints Plant • A complex metaphor for racism in American society • Like America, it calls itself “free” but racism is deeply ingrained at its roots. • Factory authorities boast of the superiority of their white paint – a parody of those who believe in white supremacy. • Trademark “Optic White” can cover up any tint or stain • Ellison points out that American wants to cover up black identity with white culture, to ignore differences, and treat black people as “stains” on white “purity”

  33. Important Characters • Reverend Homer A. Barbee • Dr. Bledsoe • Brother Jack • Tod Clifton • Emerson • Mary • The Narrator • Mr.Norton • Ras the Exhorter • Rinehart • Sybil • Jim Trueblood • The Veteran

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