Invisible Man

Invisible Man & The History of Love To be compelled to become invisible, is asking for a life that would attribute blindness & loneliness, two features that both Ellison & Krauss grant their characters. With the exception of their acceptance of invisibility, both Leo Gursky & the Narrator don’t strike as a common pair. Both men have arrived to invisibility from different backgrounds & situations. In Invisible Man, Ellison is able to continue extended metaphors that fit the wide breadth of his character’s problem with visibility. For example, the words muttered by the Narrator about Dr. Bledsoe “He was the example of everything I hoped to be: Influential with wealthy men all over the country; consulted in matters concerning the race; a leader of his people; he had achieved power and authority; had, while black and wrinkle-headed, made himself of more importance in the world than most Southern white men. They could laugh at him but they couldn't ignore him.” This occurs before the chapel service in which Mr. Barbee delivers a speech that praises the college’s founder in the same manner, however, it is revealed that Barbee is blind, and although his words serve as great praise, the Narrator ponders his naiveté attitude towards Bledsoe. Subsequently, the events that unfold for the Narrator involve his doomed path to become ultimately invisible. The situation for Leo Gursky is a much more modern one; we don’t see love as the factor concerning the Narrator’s invisibility, as we do with Leo. Gursky’s persona, from what information Krauss gives us, is one that hasn’t learned to accept his invisibility outright. Gursky claims “I try to make a point of being seen.” His futile attempts of spilling popcorn & dropping nickels tell us his perception of visibility is making one’s self forced to be seen, which is similar to the reasons the Narrator begins performing his speeches in public. The only difference is, while Gursky is successful with his