The Narrator In Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison is about an unnamed man who’s journey ultimately leads him to live in a sewer hole and become “The Invisible Man.” The Narrator is characterized as a model student, and he is giving a speech about success for Black people, the speech was so powerful that he was invited to give the speech in front of the white leaders of the town. However, when he goes to give the speech, he is welcomed by the drunken leaders, and is forced to engage in a fight between 9 other classmates, however, in the end he is able to give a speech and receives a scholarship to the state school of negroes. After the narrator is ordered to drive one of the school founders, Mr. Norton, to the school for a meeting, things do not go right and Mr. Norton arrives intoxicated. Because of this, the narrator is expelled from the school, however

he is sent to New York to find opportunity.
The Narrator arrives in New York with several recommendation letters and lots of ambition and optimism. He immediately applies for several jobs, however receives no answer. He ends up having to work at a paint company and found a place to stay with a woman by the name of Mary. One winter day, he witnesses commotion happening on the street, he sees that a white man is throwing everything out of a black women’s apartment. The narrator decides to give a speech regarding staying strong, and being the law abiding citizens that African-Americans are. Although the crowd does end up attacking, someone notices the narrator’s speech and is very impressed by it, he later meets him and finds out that his name is Jack and he is part of a multi-racial brotherhood that promotes racial equality, he offers him a job. However, to join he would have to completely forget about his past and his identity, he accepts Jacks offer. The new job pays very well and gives him his own apartment, Things are going well, however as he starts becoming bigger, he receives a letter telling him to watch out for getting big too fast, and that the white people don’t like it if he does too much.
He then sees himself in the middle of controversy, as he agrees to do an interview with a local newspaper, one of the brothers took him to court saying that he was trying to promote himself, because of this Brother Jack sent the narrator out of Harlem and to work on women’s rights.

This is when things start to spiral downwards, one of the brothers by the name of Clifton has gone missing, so the narrator decides to go find him. He finds Clifton however he is not in good shape the narrator witnesses Clifton selling racist dolls on the street. Clifton is then pursued by the Police and as soon as he resists arrest, the police officer shoots Clifton. This deeply struck the narrator because Clifton was one of his closest brothers, and a part of him died. However, he noticed that none of the other brothers seemed to care about his death. He realizes that even the brotherhood was not true to themselves as friction between the Blacks and Whites in the group caused the group to fall apart. The story ends by Ras the exhorter starting a riot in Harlem and the narrator falling in a manhole and staying there until he can be true to

himself.