I’m starting this blogpost before
having read the final reading. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I look
forward to the resolution that Ralph Ellison gives or doesn’t give me. Invisible Man has been one of my
favorite books to read at school so far. Unlike some other novels, it hasn’t
been overly confusing, instead striking a balance between a one-sided spiel and
a convoluted book. I have loved the clear focus on the narrator and it has been
an honor to have the experience of watching him grow throughout Invisible Man.
Ellison
excels at making a truly human character, someone who makes both good and bad
decisions but, above all, is relatable and understandable by the reader. The
narrator starts off as a naïve go-getter ready to make his mark on the world.
In spite of adversity, poor circumstance, and unlucky events, he keeps jumping
into life. Unlike Bigger Thomas in Native
Son, the narrator never blames anyone for his misfortune. His perseverance
and flexibility are what made him such an appealing protagonist to me.
The
cyclical storyline has been one of the one interesting aspects of the novel.
The narrator is constantly unconsciously referring to past events and
experiences. Only towards the end of the novel do we get his personal
recognition of his grandfather’s dying words. Up until then, the reader has to
be extremely perceptive of the subtlety of the underlying plot. The entire
novel builds up to the reader’s first glance of the protagonist during the
prologue. We finally dig down to the core of being an invisible man in the
middle of society. I look forward to seeing what the final chapters uncover.
...
Well I finished the novel. The most important part for me was seeing the narrator realize the injustices cast upon him that the reader has been noting the entire time. He makes the final breakthrough that uncovers the Brotherhood's true colors, giving the narrator freedom once more. Finally, he is able to see his own life as the reader saw it and realize the deeper nuances. I love that the narrator is now able to make conscious and independent decisions about his own actions, stepping out to make an independent impact on the world. Now I really want to see where he goes with that!
...
Well I finished the novel. The most important part for me was seeing the narrator realize the injustices cast upon him that the reader has been noting the entire time. He makes the final breakthrough that uncovers the Brotherhood's true colors, giving the narrator freedom once more. Finally, he is able to see his own life as the reader saw it and realize the deeper nuances. I love that the narrator is now able to make conscious and independent decisions about his own actions, stepping out to make an independent impact on the world. Now I really want to see where he goes with that!
I haven't finished the book yet and i am also looking forward to the ending! I also loved the book so far, and really feel empathy and a connection to the narrator. I feel like i can't connect to the racial and oppression issues that the narrator faces, but the narrator's confusion in trying to find out his identity and when others project views onto him is something that can i feel much empathy towards. The narrative is written in a way that i felt like i am a shadow following the narrator's every action which i found very intriguing. I can't wait for the end!
ReplyDeleteIt's this last point that Ellison really leaves hanging at the end of the novel, almost as a direct challenge to the reader's imagination--not only to wonder whether (and to what extent) this strange story might "speak for us" more generally, but to wonder what a "socially responsible," above-ground invisible man might be. Would we know? If we met a person who was aware of his invisibility, would this be evident in his speech or actions? Is it a kind of critical detachment, an awareness of racism and its institutions as absurd?
ReplyDeleteI like to think of the narrator literally becoming a novelist, or at least a writer of some kind. He's cut his chops working on this pretty decent first novel, and as he "emerges," he's positioned to be someone who can engage the social world and its many issues, but with a critical point of view that can be articulated through irony and humor.