KIMIESHA FULLER

PROFESSOR ALLRED

ENGLISH 252

FEBRUARY 10 , 2019

The Invisible Man ( Now You See Me Now You Don’t ).

Through the history of black culture , each individual who is considered black is forced to accept who there are as a person verses  what is given to them in society .Ralph Ellison is a black man who simply expresses the way in which the world for blacks is govern by whites and the remarkable power they have even up to today . He then shares through is experiences how he  felt being around people who undeniable refuses to accept the truth of black people as a individual , and not as a group not subjected to change instead judging others based of their cultural background and with that racial prejudice and true individual  identity played a significant role in his novel .

The protagonist of the novel a black man who is having an nostalgic moment of  omission of guilt for how he once viewed his grandparents who were once enslaved but freed during the time of the civil war , sees himself as an  ‘’Invisible man “ which is an indication used by the author to imply that as a black person in society your true identity is not present instead your are perceived by the perception of others namely whites .For example , “ I suspected that fighting a battle royal might detract from the dignity of my speech , in those pre-invisible days “ ( 18).  This young black intelligent college student who is expected to give a graduation speech is bombarded with expectation to fight amongst his peers and this is a perfect example of the expectations of whites towards black people turning young black educated man into arrogant individuals justified through fighting and brutality living up to the white expectations of how blacks ought to be treated.

The protagonist in Ralph Ellison Invisible Man is a man of confidence and with the knowledge given to him by is grandfather of how blacks were oppressed by whites he was then taught on how to live and act when he is around all that whiteness.  For example , the message given by the grandfather on his deathbed can be conveyed with that of wisdom and of experience “ live with your head in the lion’s mouth . I want you to overcome ‘em with yeses , undermine ‘em with grins , agree ‘em to death and destruction “(16).Racism is yet at the forefront in today’s society even through education blacks have to fight seemingly hard to prove they or worthy of such knowledge and have to be careful on what they say and do  , it is true inequality does still exist and most times black people will not get the recognition they deserve .

With the issue at hand identity and  racial injustices is presented in a way where the narrator in this profound novel incorporates the ways in which African American in the 20th century  then and now are continuously being denounce . Blacks struggles to be their true selves living in a white racist American society . Power and authority dictates how blacks should behave  as an individual and a cultural group in society .Being treated unfairly is not only unjust but blindsights human beings from viewing each other as equal instead as unwanted creatures now where is the justice in that .

“In the Fact of Blackness” Fanon clarifies the struggles of being black, in the opening passage he alternates between the 1^stand 3^rdperson, elaborating on what the black man had to endure to uncover his own black identity and how it felt understanding it first-hand whilst distinguishing the dilemma of being black in a world that defines one by the color of their skin, which relates to Du Bois’s argument of color line. Fanon explained how the white man’s gaze and description of blackness welcomes him before he can get to define himself, he is welcomed with a slur, a slur that is degrading and ultimately overshadows him. The voice of the other says “Dirty Nigger” there is simply no room for the black man to experience his being without the reminder from the white man that he is dirt, some sort of brown bag, the society is not bothered about the contents of the brown bag rather solely fixed and focused on the exterior. Fanon further discusses the limitation on self-identity which causes the black man to develop a third person consciousness which he would use to relate to the world and himself thus entering a phase Fanon explained as self-identity arrangement where the black man becomes aware of himself in a triple person, implying that when people see him they see all the history of blackness, all the history of slavery etc. The negro is constantly reminded of this trauma in their everyday life, it is very necessary to be conscious and consider what “it” the society would be place before him, would it be the ‘it” of self-identification, or the “it” of being black or possibly the “it” of history. All these elements and obstacles are placed before a black person before they can even fully discover themselves, instead there is this additional burden that is necessary for the black man to consider and importantly how to respond to it, which shows why he would have to step out of himself and remove the emotions to understand what is being said to him. The black man is not recognized philosophically and the object hood simply removes him from reciprocity which ultimately strips him of himself. In order words, the black man is always fighting in the belated and defense, whilst whiteness has an advantage. The black man is objectified amongst the whites as opposed to Emerson who was able to define himself.

Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man brings to life with visceral imagery themes that many writers from this course have spoken about. His writing most clearly embodies DuBois’ double- and Fanon’s triple-consciousness throughout these initial chapters in the narrator’s concerns and the concerns of other black people (such as Mr. Bledsoe [pp 80]) over how the actions of Jim Trueblood, the vets at the Golden Day, or the doctor will reflect on them. This idea is most clearly demonstrated when he says “We were trying to lift them up and they, like Trueblood, did everything it seemed to pull us down. (pp 37-38) and again when he says “I wanted … to assure [Mr. Norton] that far from being like any of the people we had seen, I hated them, that I believed in the principles of the Founder with all my heart and soul, and that I believed in his own goodness and kindness in extending the hand of his benevolence to helping us poor, ignorant people out of the mire and darkness.” (pp 78) This fear runs so deep that the narrator worries not only about marring Mr. Norton’s impression of him, but also of being expelled from the college. Moreover, the narrator’s account of the battle royale the first chapter is reminiscent of the idea expressed in earlier texts (specifically Fanon’s The Fact of Blackness) that black people are not allowed to exist as their individual selves alone or even primarily, but instead must exist in response to and as a prediction of how others view them. The narrator’s dissociation throughout the affair, not fully feeling the pain or even humiliation of the situation he has been tricked into, is one way that this is expressed. Instead, he worries about how the white men there will see him based on his reaction and whether or not he will be able to give his speech. His inability to exist simply on the individual plane is especially visible in his overwhelming, blinding gratitude for being allowed to give his speech and receiving the suitcase and admission into the college, causing him to forgive and almost forget the horrific treatment he faced up until this point. Rather than being allowed to be upset, he must smile and accept this supposed generosity and remember his place (a message that will later be reinforced by Mr. Bledsoe).

One of the most striking points of this story so far, however, is found in the prologue, when, on his death bed, the narrator’s grandfather says “Son, after I’m gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy’s country ever since I give up my gun back in the Reconstruction. Live with your head in the lion’s mouth. I want you to overcome ’em with yeses, undermine ’em with grins, agree ’em to death and destruction, let ’em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open.” (pg 13) Throughout these early chapters, Ellison’s narrator over and over again conveys a sense of dread and guilt surrounding this deathbed wish, fearing that through his success he fails his grandfather and that eventually, white people will catch onto the subterfuge that he does not know he is committing. However, I would argue that exactly the opposite is true. In my reading, this passage seems to be advising the narrator’s father (and him, by extension) to try to defy the system of racial inequity and discrimination from within, submitting to whites either to gain power or to show them that they are wrong about what black people can achieve. This is a theme touched upon indirectly in Fanon’s The Fact of Blackness when wants to tell the white woman calling him a handsome negro to “Kiss the handsome negro’s ass, madame” (260). However, Fanon ultimately does not (as we discussed in class) because to do so would be to regress into the caricature of savage blackness that racist society has already ascribed onto him. He can either submit to the racism quietly or he can lash out and confirm their suspicions that he is, in fact, a savage. The narrator’s grandfather, however, seems to take the opposite stance of Fanon’s hopelessness here, suggesting that there are ways to resist (albeit frustrating and unfair ones) through submission.