Invisible Man Research Paper

Throughout history, writers used different places, different cultures, different backgrounds to represent opposed forces in their work. Likewise, Ellison brings up two different places, backgrounds, and different education to reveal the segregation and discrimination that African American people suffered throughout their life by their own self and white people in his book “ Invisible Man.” Ellison reveals combining two different backgrounds cause people to their own destruction because people are tend to blind through wealth. Hence, the author sets up the narrator from the South and the Brotherhood from the North, the author also sets up Dr. Bledsoe from the South and young Emerson from the North as an example to contrast the opposing idea
of his work. The author shows Southerner’s nature through the narrator’s young age when the narrator only yearned for gifts from white people. Once in awhile, he might remember the last words of his grandfather to be loyal to his own people. But he soon forgot to remain loyal to his people if it means for him to get a prize from white people. Hence, when he gave a speech in the hotel after high school, he followed the rules to please whites while he was stumbling the loyalty that he had for blacks - just only to get a prize. Through the narrator, the author was able to show that Southerner are loyal when they see money, and they do not think twice to abandon their beliefs if it means for them to get a prize. The author then shows Northerner’s nature through the Brotherhood who keeps on using the talent of Southerners to do their dirty jobs. The Brotherhood pretends to bring justice in the North with the narrator in order to destroy every single one without the knowledge of the narrator. As a wealthy Northerner unlike poor Southerner, the Brotherhood were able to buy the soul of young black people like the narrator to do their dirty works. If only the South had the same classes, the same background, and the same wealth, Northerner would not be able to draw Southerners as their little puppets. The relationship between the narrator from the South and the Brotherhood from the North reveal that combining two different backgrounds cause Southerner to be blinded by wealth while Northerner to be blinded by power. Ellison also explains mixing with different backgrounds cause destruction in the ending of his book when the people of Harlem whom are from the South were destroying each other meaninglessly without realizing that they were doing exactly what Northerners asked them to do. Hence, different cultures and beliefs lead to oppose each other if they have no consideration for each other.