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The Invisible Man's Quest for Identity

Still, Bledsoe has no interest in the college's existence to help the black race but rather he sees this institution as a possibility for him to execute power given to him by the whites. He achieves this power by behaving "humbly and respectfully" (90) and through "act[ing] the nigger" (120) towards the white trustees. Even if that means denying his own black identity. That black identity is not possible in the white dominated American society is pointed out by Ralph Ellison - talking about his novel afterwards - reasoning that "whites have a monopoly on individuality and intelligence, and in order for a black man to lay claim to his own, he must necessarily change color" (1995: 360).
             As he leaves the college the invisible man has not yet grasped Bledsoe's betrayal and thinks that "Dr Bledsoe is right" (123). Still believing in the college's ideology he intends to return to his school. With innocent optimism he moves up to the urban North where he has to discover Bledsoe's phoniness. After visiting Emerson he finds out about the true content of the letters, given to him by Bledsoe in order to help him getting a job, as they basically contain the following message: "Keep this nigger boy running" (208). Therefore this is the fulfillment of his dream described at the end of chapter one. Thus the protagonist feels "disillusioned" (208) from the college philosophy having "lost his prospects and pride" (209). And "losing [his] place in Bledsoe's world" (209) he heads for a further step of his development.
             2. 2 Development of Racial Pride.
             When coming to Harlem and still under the influence of Booker T. Washington's ideology the narrator first denies his southern black background when a typical southern breakfast is offered to him in a drugstore. He feels even "proud to have resisted the pork chops and grits" (146) assuming his southern culture to be inferior.


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