Invisible Man

Invisible Man is a story told through the perspective of the narrator, a Black man struggling in a White culture. The term “invisible man” truly idealizes not only the struggles of a black man but also the actual unknown identity of the narrator. The story starts during the narrator’s college days where he works hard and earns respect from the college administration. Dr. Bledsoe, a Black administrator of the school, becomes the narrator’s friend. Dr. Bledsoe has achieved success in the White culture which becomes the goal which the narrator seeks to achieve. The narrator's hard work culminates in him being given the opportunity to take Mr. Norton, a White benefactor to the school, on a car ride around the school area. Against his judgment, the narrator takes Mr. Norton to a run down Black neighborhood. When Dr. Bledsoe found out about the trip, the narrator was kicked out of school. The narrator is shattered, by having his friend and mentor turn on him. He soon travels to New York to start fresh and begin a new life. In New York, he joins the Brotherhood, a group striving for the improvement of the Black race. After joining the organization, the narrator meets Brother Clifton, a young Black man who is sympathetic to the narrator's situation. Brother Clifton is an individual who seems to be happy and successful in the brotherhood. The narrator and Clifton share a bond and appear to have mutual respect for each other. Then, without warning Clifton suddenly disappears. He is next found by the narrator selling dolls on a street corner. The narrator wonders why Clifton, a respected member of the Brotherhood, would lower himself to becoming a neighborhood merchant. The narrator wonders if Clifton felt betrayed because t...

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.... In this book it is a cultural issue, as well as a personal issue for the narrator. He finds himself searching for an identity while black and white cultures search for a means to coexist. Ultimately, the narrator realizes that being a human being allows him to be an individual. Communities such as the school and the brotherhood help to refine his individuality rather than oppress it. But at some point, an individual must rise up as a member of the human race for the improvement of life and happiness for a community. The narrator’s inability to accept this theory is based in his beliefs of invisibility. The narrator is invisible because people see in him only what they want to see, not what he really is. Being a human being gives everyone the right to belief and expression. It is up to the individual to use these tools to overcome and find their own identity.