1. Invisible Man Ralph Ellison FOLK 195 March 4, 2003 Jean Ferguson

2. Invisible Man • “I am an invisible man…” page 3

3. Invisible Man: Overview • Ralph Ellison • Characters • Structure • Major Themes

4. Invisible Man: Ralph Ellison • Born March 1, 1914 in Oklahoma City, OK • Father died in 1917 resulted in economic struggle • Mother active in socialist politics • Attended college at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama • Moved to New York City • Took seven years to write Invisible Man • Taught at Bard College, Rutgers and NYU • Continued to work on his second novel • Died April 16, 1994

5. Invisible Man: Characters • Narrator • Grandfather, page 15 • Dr. Bledsoe • Mr. Norton • Mary • Brother Jack • Tod Clifton • Ras, the Destroyer

6. Invisible Man: Structure • Chronological • Battle Royal • College • New York • Harlem • The Brotherhood • Retreat

7. Invisible Man: Major Themes • Invisibility • Speeches, page 275 • Failure • Oppression • Sambo Dolls • Jazz

8. Invisible Man • “What Did I Do to Be So Black and Blue” Louis Armstrong