Invisible Man

THE INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison's novel, Invisible Man, embodies many villains that the narrator (the main character) faces. Dr. Bledsoe and Brother Jack are just two of the villains that use and take advantage of the narrator. After each confrontation with his enemies, the narrator matures and augments his personality. Through his words, the reader can see the narrator's development in realizing that he is invisible simply because people refuse to see him.

Dr. Bledsoe or "Old Bucket-head" as people called him, "was the example of everything I hoped to be..." described the narrator. He was a "leader of his people" owned two Cadillacs and had a "good-looking, creamy complexioned wife." When the narrator returns from driving Mr. Norton, Dr. Bledsoe immediately scolded the narrator for driving Mr. Norton (a founder and trustee of the narrator's college) to the slave-quarter section. Even though Mr. Norton told Dr. Bledsoe that the narrator was not responsible for what had happened, Dr. Bledsoe ordered the narrator to meet with him later that day.

When the narrator met with Bledsoe again, he saw Bledsoe's true nature. Bledsoe was even more upset now that he had found out that the narrator also drove Mr. Norton to the Golden Day. The narrator tried to explain the circumstances, but Bledsoe didn't buy the explanation. "Everybody knows that the only way to please a white man is to tell him a lie!" exclaimed Bledsoe. In an angry fury, Bledsoe then called the narrator a "nigger." Extremely offended and overwhelmed, the narrator described, "It was as thought he'd struck me...He called me that..." The narrator then fought back in an exasperated, and desperate threat, "I'll tell everybody. I'll fight you. I swear it, I'll fight!" Bledsoe arrogantly replies, "Tell anyone you like...I'm still the king down here." Bledsoe then expelled the narrator and sent him off to New York with seven letters of recommendations, or so the narrator thought.

As time passed in New York, the narrator could not find a job and begun to wonder why none of the addresses on the letter seem to be contacting him. With one more letter left, he decided to take it to the addressee Mr. Emerson. It is here, through the son of Mr. Emerson, that he learned Bledsoe's cruel game. In reality, each letter degraded the narrator, explaining to addressee that he was expelled from the college to never return. The narrator learned a harsh and cruel lesson. The power hungry Bledsoe, would have done anything to keep his power, even by deceiving a vulnerable student. Angry and vengeful, the narrator realizes that he can trust no one, even someone of his own race. He discovered that prejudice within