Invisible Man

A groundbreaking exploration of identity, racism, and the search for selfhood in mid-20th century America.

Ralph Ellison's unnamed narrator begins his journey as an eager young Black man in the South, believing that education and hard work will earn him acceptance in American society. But a series of increasingly surreal encounters—from a college expulsion based on a white trustee's whims to his experiences in a Harlem paint factory where he's caught in racial and labor politics—gradually strip away his illusions.

The narrator discovers that he is "invisible" not because people cannot see him, but because they refuse to see him as a full human being. Instead, they see only their preconceptions, stereotypes, and projections. Whether dealing with white liberals who want to use him as a symbol or Black nationalists who want to use him as a tool, he finds that everyone wants to define his identity except himself.

Ellison's novel operates on multiple levels simultaneously. It's a bildungsroman following one man's journey to self-discovery, a fierce critique of American racism, and an allegory about the African American experience. The narrative moves from realism to surrealism, incorporating elements of folklore, jazz rhythms, and stream-of-consciousness techniques.

The famous prologue, where the narrator lives underground stealing electricity from the power company while listening to jazz and contemplating his invisibility, establishes the novel's central metaphor and its innovative narrative approach.