Themes in Invisible Man Essay

Invisible Man

In Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the author uses the theme of invisibility during the Battle Royale when they dont see him as one man, they see him and all the other men. His purpose is to show that the main character goes through stages of invisibility. It contributes to the meaning as a whole because the men dont really see him.

During the Battle Royale in the book, the men are led to a fight, We were led out of the elevator through a rococo hall into an anteroom and told to get into our fighting togs (18). When they did that, they saw a woman dancing. After seeing the woman dance, they are blindfolded for the fight. The audience of men doesnt seem him as one man, they see him as just another guy in the fight. After being blindfolded, the main character was scared, but now I felt a sudden fit of blind terror, (21). He was no longer just invisible, he was blind. The only thing he could think about was his speech of course; he would not be giving his speech anytime soon seeing as he was getting beat up. The only time he wasnt invisible was when he was getting hit otherwise; he was always part of a group. He was invisible until he got hit because the men would see that and theyd yell stuff like kill him (23) and slug him, black boy! Knock his guys out (23). No one would see the individual him. Being blindfolded made all the other men invisible too. So its not only him as the invisible one. While blindfolded he could no longer control is motions, I stumbled about like a baby or a drunken man (22) and that shows that he really couldnt see. It didnt help that he was inhaling smoke too. He was invisible until he got hit because the men would see that and theyd yell stuff like kill him (23) and slug him, black boy! Knock his guys out (23).

He discovered that he could see the forms of the men through his blindfold so he used that to his advantage to be invisible. Thats one of the places its good to be invisible. Its good because he can dodge the blows and not get severely beat up. The author uses this situation to show that sometimes, it is a good thing to be invisible.

When they were all done fighting, the main character had to fight another man. He lost to the other man and then the men that were watching the fight brought out a rug and threw all the money on it. When the fighters went to grab the money, they got electrocuted. They all laughed it off though because they wanted to entertain the men. Someone lifted a boy into the air and threw him onto the rug so he wouldnt be able to move. He was on his back. Thats a good time to be invisible just like the main character. If he were to stick out like a sore thumb, they would have thrown him on that rug.

After that whole situation, they were told to get dressed and get their money. They all god five dollars except for the winner and they were told to leave. The main character thought he wouldnt be able to deliver his speech but he was told to stop and go back. Thats a part of the story where he wasnt invisible. The MC told everyone to be quiet because, this boy was brought here to deliver a speech which he made at his graduation yesterday(29). He began slowly. He wanted to deliver his speech but he didnt want to deliver it looking all beat up. He kept going and going until, my dry mouth, filling up with blood from the cut, almost strangled me(30). He just wanted to stop because the men were talking and laughing. When he said social responsibility(30) they kept asking him to reapeat it and someone asked him if he was being smart. He said no. I was afraid. I wanted to leave but I wanted also to speak and I was afraid theyd snatch me down (31) is a good description of wanting to be invisible but not at the same time. There are those times where you just want to be invisible but theres something your so passionate about that you just have to get it done. When he was done with his speech, there was applause. At the end, he got a briefcase and a scholarship to a state college for Negros. He was very happy. He wasnt even upset that the gold coins he took were fake.

Its good to be invisible at times and its good to not be invisible. If youre in a ring with a lot of guys fighting, you want to be invisible but if you are giving a speech you dont want to be because you never know what you are going to get at the end. In Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the author uses the theme of invisibility during the Battle Royale when they dont see him as one man, they see him and all the other men. His purpose is to show that the main character goes through stages of invisibility. It contributes to the meaning as a whole because the men dont really see him.