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Sandy Lu
Ms. Pasche
AP English Language & Composition
November 10, 2013
Invisible Man
Author, Ralph Ellison, in his prologue of Invisible Man, acknowledges the fact that he is
invisible because of his race. Ellisons purpose is to convey the idea that people dont see him for
who he is, but for what he is a black man, and thinks he deserves to be seen in a non-distorted
way. He adopts a bitter tone in order to create an appeal to readers who may experience similar
feelings of invisibility.
Ellison begins the passage by addressing his awareness of being an invisible man
(Ellison 1). He uses a logical appeal by distinguishing that he is not Edgar Allen Poe, and that he
is indeed a man of substance, flesh and bone, fiber and liquids (1). At first, he uses an allusion
by referring to Edgar Allan Poe to provide a connection to a reader and to display a kind of
gloomy mood since most of Poes work also create a gloomy mood. By using the words,
substance, flesh and bone, fiber and liquids, he is pointing out the fact that he is indeed a
human being (1). The narrator sounds irritated at first but then shifts to a tone of rage. He repeats
that he is an invisible man because people refuse to see him, in order to demonstrate that
people dont bother to notice him (1). By using the word, refuse it indicates that the narrator is
not literally invisible like a ghost and that people can truly see him but they just decide not to.
Ellisons use of forthright diction conveys an irritated tone that he is being overlooked and wants
to be noticed.
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Ellison shifts to creating a mental image of a circus sideshow (1). He says, Like the
bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by
mirrors or hard, distorting glass (1).When he mentions a circus sideshow, the narrator believes
he is seen as a laughing stock. He uses similes to compare himself to being seen without a body
and in a distorted view. When a person is bodiless, theyre missing a majority of themselves,
therefore, they arent seen as a whole. When an image is distorted, it is disfigured or not seen
clearly. It is like looking at yourself in a fun house mirror. You are unable to look at yourself
properly because your features are twisted around and you begin laughing because it is humorous
to look at. The narrator is being viewed as the exact same idea. This demonstrates that Ellison is
seen in a distorted manner. In Ellisons view, When they approach me, they see only my
surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination indeed, everything and anything
except me in order to establish that he is invisible to them and would want to be seen for who he
is (1). By seeing everything else except the narrator, it is as if he is see through. The author uses
these words to demonstrate that his presence is clearly being disregarded. The last several words
is like saying your parents bought all your siblings a present for Christmas except for you. This
would cause you to feel left out and vexed and that is how the narrator feels. Ellisons annoyance
conveys a serious tone that people are stereotypical by refusing to see the narrator for who he is.
They recognize the narrator as a black man and they consider him alike to every other black
person and not as an individual.
In Ellisons passage, he acknowledges the notion that he is invisible to others because of
his race and he feels that he deserves to be seen for who he is.
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Works Cited
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. New York: Random House, Inc., 1952. Print.
