Symbolism as a protesting tool in Ralph Waldo Ellison’s Invisible Man

Abstract

General Conclusion Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man is placed in a period of an extreme racial confusion in America, when the African Americans start to go against the mainstream white society and fight for their rights. The novel tells the stories of inequality, exploitation, pain and solitude that the protagonist faces throughout his journey. He is an unknown black men, who despite the fact that he is not physically invisible most characters refuse to see him. Ralph Waldo Ellison promises to create an effective, powerful and outspoken narrative. Yet, his powerful use of accurate symbolism was not intended. When Ralph Ellison was asked for whether he intends to plan and place symbolism in his work. He replied saying: “symbolism arises out of action…Once a writer is conscious of the implicit symbolism which arises in the course of a narrative, he may take advantage of them and manipulate them consciously as a further resource of his art.”(qtd in Lovejoy) Ellison’s Invisible Man concentrates on a number of social and psychological problems facing African Americans early in the twentieth century. It touches on the conflict of identity, blindness, invisibility and racism. The major theme of invisible man is the necessity to construct a personal identity in a divided society. Throughout the novel, the narrator struggles with finding his identity. He tries to shape his identity into what others want before he realizes he will only have a chance at freedom when he has his own identity. The protagonist suffers from the society’s blindness. People, whether blacks or whites, never see the narrator as a free thinking individual but as a foolish black man. As a result, he comes to a conclusion that he must be invisible if they cannot see him for who he is. Furthermore, he is subject to much racism, wherever he goes he faces racism. Fedias44 To conclude, symbolism is a vital part in invisible man. It is more than a decorative technique. It allows readers to read between the lines and appreciate the simple and complex shades of meaning. For further study, these questions are provided: Does Ralph Ellison think that symbolism saturating the novel obvious enough for readers to fully understand? Do the times post world war two call for caution that you could not freely express your ideas and openly criticize society in writing?