Ralph Ellison Invisible Identity

An Invisible Identity In the Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison's portrayal of a nameless narrator leaves the readers with an unforgettable impression of one's struggles with both external force- an oppressed society with unspoken "rules" and internal conflict- perception and identity. Throughout the novel, the narrator encounters various experiences that would change his perception, thus revealing the truth of his society and his self- realization of "invisibility". The narrator's depiction first appears to be intelligent, deeply introspective, ambitious, and gifted with oral abilities, however, is still too naïve to see through the invisible barriers around him. The first experience that tainted his innocence is the "Battle Royal", in which
he and other black boys were brought to fight one another blindfolded as a mean to entertain the white men present at the party. It is the utmost humiliation as being treated as objects with the purpose of entertainment only, thus illustrating the racist view that "blinded" the white guys, and the blindness to such mortification caused by the blindfolds of the black boys. The concept of "unspoken rules" is accentuated by the shocked reaction the words " social equality" (31) in the narrator's speech, indicating the oppressed system that has yet to appear in his sight, whose ambition and naivety still prevents him from seeing the truth. The grandfather's last words of "overcome ‘em with yeses, undermine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction" (16) had long puzzled and haunted the narrator of its meaning, once again bounces back with his interactions with Mr. Norton and Dr. Bledsoe. In his fear of losing Mr. Norton as a valuable trustee, Dr. Bledsoe reveals his true nature. While being imperious and commanding to the narrator, he was extremely submissive and servile to Mr. Norton. He used his fake "meekness" as a mask to empower himself by manipulating wealthy white power, describing as "telling the white folk how to think about the things I know about" (141) by "taking these white folks where we want them to go, we shoe them what we want them to see". Dr. Bledsoe illustrates the negative effect of Brooker.T Washington's ideas, which strives only for economic advancements through hard work while omitting the demand for equality. In this case, instead of using his power to help the black community, Dr. Bledsoe uses the college as a mean of self- empowerment and willed to protect it at all cost, even to have "every Negro in the country hanging on the tree limbs by morning" to "stay where I am" (143), thus oppressing his own people even more in an already existed suppressed system. His self- description as " big and black and say ‘yes, suh' as loudly as any hurrhead when it's convenient, but I am still the king down there" once again links back the grandfather's last words, furthermore, influenced the narrator tremendously. After being crushed by the fake recommendation letters the narrator starts to realize the corruption within his own community and to question the true nature of his society. The irony becomes more evident at Liberty Paint through Ellison's excellent metaphor and symbolism. The concept of "Liberty Paint" and "Optic white" emphasized the cover, the façade that attempts to blind people from seeing the control of the racist system. The process of making the famous white paint, consisting of mixing black liquid to make the paint whiter, contrasts white and black, demonstrated societal view on these two communities as contrasting makes the white society purer while lowering the value of other. Moreover, the figure of Brockway, the arrogant and eccentric engineer, again reflects Washington's obvious flaws in his ideas, as Brockway's ideas of advancing are betrayed by his own insecurities, thus turning him against his people. Continuing in chapter 11, the narrator undergoes a transformation after being hospitalized – a rebirth, an enormous identity change. Now, supplying with the knowledge of the real system, the narrator partially removes his blindness in trusting this society with a new beginning. During his staying at Mary's, the narrator gradually reconnects with his southern identity through simple reminiscences from the yams, reconnecting with his "roots", and even with his oral skills by his passionate speech at the eviction. However, his success at the Brotherhood somehow "blinds" the narrator again, making him believe in a false destination for ambition. Not until the death of Clifton that the narrator receives a wake up call, recognizing the manipulation putting on him and his people, because according to them, he " was not hired to think" (436) and that his people "will have to be sacrificed" (493).The Brotherhood, in exercising an impractical ideology, was just another form of oppressed system. Right from the beginning, they take away the narrator's identity by giving him a new name and cutting him from his old connections. His success at the organization is someone else's, working under another identity, thus just creating another illusion of himself. At this point, suddenly the revelation of his grandfather becomes clear, he determines to adopt the "Rinehart identity" to "affirm someone's mistaken beliefs" (563). In other words, he would destroy by burying his honesty and pleasing them with his lies and treachery. Throughout the novel, the narrator's identity is strongly influenced by his struggles with societal expectations reflecting by his race, and tightly associates with the concept of invisibility and blindness. Started out naïve and ambitious, the narrator at that point was still blinded to the real face of society, eagerly accepting other's blindness like Mr. Norton's. When saying "you are my fate", Mr. Norton does not mean equal influences on each other but rather seeing the narrator as an object, a tool contributing to his collection of accomplishments, thus refusing to see him. Similarly, Brother Jack and the Brotherhood refuses to see him as an individual with independent thinking, understanding, and opinion. Brother Jack's blindness is portrayed by his literal blindness- his glass eye. His wish to control and exploit the black community comes from his blindness to his "scientific ideology" and his refusal to see the Harlem community as real people, making the narrator cannot help but wonder " which eye is really the blind one? " (470). Up to this point, the narrator has finally learnt that people see through him, that he is invisible with bitterness. He also realizes how impossible it is to "work" and survive in this controlled system with honesty and righteousness because submission and blindness are essential to please "them". This revelation links back his grandfather's last words and Dr. Bledsoe's furious conversations. In his time spending in the underground cellar, the narrator reflects his experiences to search for his identity and to decide the unclear future without any interference from others.
Gradually he understands that he cannot be a Rinehart, for his nature stops him from denying his honesty to affirm deceit. By recognizing his mistake of searching his identity in everyone but himself, he recognizes the key to his identity. For all his life up to that moment, he has follow different ideologies from the college to the Brotherhood to build up his individuality without trusting himself to develop his own identity, thus having not lived his own life but rather has allowed social limitations to take control of his life. He now embraces his identity - an invisible man even if other cannot see it, because he is "invisible, not blind" (564). Finding his identity also changes his perception, making him deliberate his grandfather's words again: whether "yes" can have a different and more positive meaning as to assert the principals in which America was built on rather than its corruptness. Additionally, the burning of the papers in his briefcase (high school diploma, his new name, the anonymous note, etc) that signifies a symbolic meaning of ending with the past, along with his hints of coming out of hibernation to assume " an invisible man has a socially responsible role to play" (571), suggest another rebirth, this time with an identity and without
blindness. Ellison never gives the narrator a name in order to emphasize the representational characteristic of it, being able to exemplify anyone and their struggles. Neither does he try to make the narrator a heroic figure who achieves final glory of victory. It is the realistic, straightforward, and very personal aspects of the novel that magnetize the readers. The narrator's journey to find identity through social limitations and control expresses Ellison's unapologetic depiction of the inequality in American society in the mid 1900s.