Stages of Visibility in Invisible Man :: Invisible Man Essays

Stages of Visibility in occult Man         In Ralph Ellisons novel, Invisible Man, the main character goes through numerous situations trying to discover himself.  The main character, the teller, thinks that he is a truly key person.  He thinks that his ideas will put an end to all the racial stereotypes in the world.  The narrator does not realize that he is virtually nonexistent to everyone. The narrator goes through three states of sociality  invisible, translucent, and visible.         At first, the narrator thinks of himself as being visible, however, he is actually totally invisible to everyone he meets.  Hardly anything he does is certain by the whites.  He thinks people want to listen to him and that they look up to his views.  He is notably na&239ve, and even admits to it.  He forms and idea of what he wants to be when he is expelled from college. That was when he realized he w as not very important to anyone.         During the middle of the novel, the narrators visibility fluctuates this symbolizes a change.  He is slowly realizing that he is really invisible to everyone.  When the narrator was speaking with Mr. Emerson about a job, Mr. Emerson say ...I happen to know of a possible job at independence Paints.  My father has sent several fellows there...You should try-- and the narrators reply was a shut door.  This shows that the narrator knows he is not entirely visible or important to everyone.  He had then realized that he is just a player in a game.         In the end of the novel, the narrator sees that he is visible merely to certain people.  Nobody cares what he does, as long as he does what is expected.  Towards the end of the novel, the narrator shows that he understands his status with the white people when he refuses to consent to