Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man," as told by the "invisible man" himself, is the story of a man's quest to separate his beliefs and values from those being pressed upon him. The narrator never gives his name in the story, which is shown later to have great significance. The narrator is a well-educated black man who has been kicked out of his college, and lied to by the school officials. While wandering around Harlem searching for some sort of closure, he encounters a black couple, unjustly evicted from their home. A crowd has gathered, also upset by the injustice, and seems to be ready to riot. Instead, the narrator speaks to them, and they rush the house systematically. This is his first true display of independent thinking and action in the story. He speaks his honest feelings to a crowd, and is backed by them. The narrator's actions, however, don't remain so uninhibited throughout the story.

The narrator is later approached by a representative of a group called the Brotherhood, who wish for the narrator to join them as a black leader. In the beginning his ideas are respected, but in time his superiors order him to follow their instructions, placing aside his own ideas and feelings. For a while, the narrator regresses from his independence, simply content following orders. He comes to realize, however, that he is being stifled by the Brotherhood, desiring free action once again. The narrator's will suddenly conflicts with the will of the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood essentially wants to act more pacifistically, taking a less dangerous approach to the raging will of the black people.

Rather than rectifying the changed Brotherhood, the narrator decides to sabotage it from the inside. His actions doing this once again represent those of a strong-willed individual, rather than his previous conformist following. The effect on the Brotherhood is shown when many of their members begin to leave,