Invisible Man: Plot Summary
Invisible Man: Plot Summary
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man opens with a prologue describing the main character in time after the beginning of the body of the book. In the prologue,
Ellison tells of the main characters invisibility. It is not a physical invisiblity, but rther he is not recognised, and therefore persieved, by the world at large. This is coupled with the fact that he is constantly trying to be someone else, other than himself, creates for his a complete loss of identity, and he becomes a man without a soul.
The story begins with the main character being forced to partisipate in an archaic and animalistic free-for-all in order for him to be allowed to give his speech that will determine wheather he will be accepted to the 'college'.
He is accepted and goes through two of his years at the college uneventfully.
He is ejected from the school during his junior year when the trustee who was in his care while visiting the school fell ill and is taken to a local bar to get some alcohol
. He is given seven letter of what he supposes to be recomendation to give to people in New York. He moves to Harlem and delivers the letters.
He finds out that these letters were not recomenation but rather advisments against hiring him. The seventh receiver of a letter gives him a job in a paint factory. He does not derform well there and evetually causes he own dismissal by ignoring hes work and getting knoked out by an explosion that is his fault. He joins a black power group called The Brotherhood and is sent out to spread the word of the group. He meets a man named Clfton, his first real freind, and clifon is shot by a police officer. He speaks at Clifton's funeral and the Brotherhood does not like what he says. he befriens a middle aged white woman whao flirs with him a good bit. one night while with her is is asked to come to Harlem and come a riot that is occering. A rival of the
Brotherhood, Ras the Exhorter, sees him there and and starts
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man opens with a prologue describing the main character in time after the beginning of the body of the book. In the prologue,
Ellison tells of the main characters invisibility. It is not a physical invisiblity, but rther he is not recognised, and therefore persieved, by the world at large. This is coupled with the fact that he is constantly trying to be someone else, other than himself, creates for his a complete loss of identity, and he becomes a man without a soul.
The story begins with the main character being forced to partisipate in an archaic and animalistic free-for-all in order for him to be allowed to give his speech that will determine wheather he will be accepted to the 'college'.
He is accepted and goes through two of his years at the college uneventfully.
He is ejected from the school during his junior year when the trustee who was in his care while visiting the school fell ill and is taken to a local bar to get some alcohol
. He is given seven letter of what he supposes to be recomendation to give to people in New York. He moves to Harlem and delivers the letters.
He finds out that these letters were not recomenation but rather advisments against hiring him. The seventh receiver of a letter gives him a job in a paint factory. He does not derform well there and evetually causes he own dismissal by ignoring hes work and getting knoked out by an explosion that is his fault. He joins a black power group called The Brotherhood and is sent out to spread the word of the group. He meets a man named Clfton, his first real freind, and clifon is shot by a police officer. He speaks at Clifton's funeral and the Brotherhood does not like what he says. he befriens a middle aged white woman whao flirs with him a good bit. one night while with her is is asked to come to Harlem and come a riot that is occering. A rival of the
Brotherhood, Ras the Exhorter, sees him there and and starts