Ralf Ellisons The Invisible Man Essay - 1927 Words

At the time the Invisible Man was published segregation was in full force in many parts of America, making certain scenes of the novel obscene and outlandish (Holland 34). To his peers Ellison was a thinker as well as writer he had the capability of repairing automobiles and electronic devices; â€Å"He had a particular passion for high quality audio equipment, and found a hobby in building and customizing stereo systems.† (LitCharts 3) After writing the Invisible Man Ellison found it to be an arduous task to replicate the success of the Invisible Man, â€Å"Which immediately was considered a classic†(Brennan). Ellison made it is life mission to write a successful second novel, but he could not compete with the success of the Invisible Man. â€Å"When I†¦show more content†¦There are similarities found between the protagonist in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and the protagonist in the Invisible Man â€Å"Ellison attributes the influence of the novel t o Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn† (LitCharts 4). Ellison wrote the novel shortly after America’s victory in World War II. The postwar era is traditionally a boom time in American history, â€Å"[where] many men [were] disillusioned by the experience of the war, which is reflected by the novel’s mental patients† (LitCharts 4). Furthermore, the late 1940’s and early 1950’s was the time of extensive discrimination against African Americans’ in the deep south. In Invisible Man, race is a constant and perpetual factor. The narrator often encounters the idea of race and racism through the perspicacity of others. â€Å"For instance his experiences in the battle royal to his realization of his token role in the Brotherhood† (LitCharts). However, the novel scrutinizes â€Å"whether race might be an authentic marker of individual identity, outside the context of racism† (LitCharts 4). IM swiftly understands that his bla ckness is highly meaningful, but cannot efficiently interpret what it should mean to him. Ellison does not offer the reader any solution to the complicated legacies of race. Although IM begins to become a recluse towards the end of the novel, he still boldly states, â€Å"I could not be still even in hibernations. â€Å"Because, damn it, there’s the