Invisibility In Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man

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Recommended: Concept of invisibility in The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Invisibility, the state of not being seen, is often thought of as a superpower, but Ralph Ellison takes a different approach to this concept in his book The Invisible Man. The narrator states that people "refuse" to see him because “they see only [his] surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination..anything except [him]” and by not allowing themselves to look clearly they render him invisible (Ellison 3). However, even the narrator is blinded by his preconceptions. One day, the narrator is driving one of his college founders Mr. Norton around, until Mr. Norton becomes ill from shock and needs to be taken to Golden Day bar and brothel. There, while watching their interaction, the doctor comments on how neither the narrator nor

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