Invisible Man

Invisible Man

What makes us visible to others? How is it that sometimes society is completely blind to our exisitance? Either we are invisible because we are not being noticed or we are invisible because others can not see our true identity due to expectations relating to race, gender or class. Of course the term invisible was not intended to be taken literally. The meaning of invisible in Ellison’s Invisible Man is essentially metaphorical. Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, the main character experiences invisibility in various manners and situations.

Being invisible has its advantages. If others don’t acknowlegde you then you could get away with actions that people are usualy punished with a penalty. In the book, the main character tells of his advantages of being invisible such as living in the basement of an apartment building rent free beause the landlord is unaware of his dwelling. The same example can be said in a working enviornment where an employee can come in late multiple times but is not scrutinized because that employee is not vital and therefore unoticed by the employer. This type of invisiblilty is favored by some by laothed by others.

Some people don’t like the felling of being unimportant. Ironically, in the book Invisible Man, the main character explained the advantages of being invisible shortly after he showed contempt for being invisible. Frustrated at his invisibility, he lashes out at a man he intentionally bumped into (althought at the beginning, he said it was accidental). Observing this more closely, it was an attempt to be acknowledge by the man to see if he would move out of the way. The fact that the man didn’t bother to do so only push him down a deeper state of anger and therefore the only way for him to be acknowledge is to act drastically. This inisibility is a reflection of the other’s respect for the main character. The main character was not a seen person of importance. Not being acknowledge is usually frowned upon. This disregard of acknowledge occurs often in a place of work. Whether it be in a learning institution or a working enviornment were a person deprived of praise and recongnition. In order for that perons to be reconginized is to make him/herself seen and usually this calls for gaining the attention of another by some act. Then your invisibility becomes visble as a new image is ...

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...rson that he/she should speak with slang and where baggy clothes. In time, this person usually go through the gradual change of becoming person that was visible to the black community. In time those who tend towards the identity that is not their own evetually becomes lost in that identity. Therefore their true identity is no longer visible to them but remain visible to others in that “other” identity.

The issue of visibility and invisibility will always involve race, gender and class. Race, gender and class aren’t the ONLY subjects that would influenece visibility and invisibiy. It can also be actions, education, hieght, etc. Unfortuntely people tend to see only what they expect to see, blinding themselves from the actually truths othe of others. This seems to be an ongoing issue as people tend to only look at the surface and don’t bother to look past it. Recongnizing what deserves regonistion is not the only solution. There is also fair treatment of others. We must learn not to assume what we expect of others. This expectations usually lead to underestimting and disrespect to those that deserive it. Only when we decide not to be blind can we finally see what ws truly invisible.