Throughout this book Ralph Ellison uses metaphors for the world around the character. ... Some of the best moments are when he realizes just how invisible he really is in the world, as in the prolouge where he continued to attack the white man as long as the man refused to apologize and kept insulting him. The narrator then realized that the man does not see him as an individual and the narrator walked away laughing at the thought that the man was almost killed by a "figment of his imagination". ... Ellison remarks on the hypocrisy embedded in Norton from the very beginning, mentioning that h...

• Word Count: 2101
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

In the novel, "Invisible Man," by Ralph Ellison, the main character, "Invisible Man" (IM), is nameless, invisible, and is thrown into many challenging social situations as a result of his race. Invisible Man captures and addresses the many struggles facing African Americans through IM at a time when blacks were perceived as greedy, emotionless and less intelligent than whites. Ellison creates aural imagery that attracts IM's attention, such as the disturbing black imagery of the coin bank. ... Ellison highlights certain circumstances where IM feels discomfort, such as from the s...

• Word Count: 1967
• Approx Pages: 8