Throughout the novel Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison creates the illusion that there is indeed some sort of answer, solution, or correct approach to racism in America. The narrator provides the reader with many approaches to race demonstrated by different characters throughout the novel such as those of his grandfather, Bledsoe, Mr. Norton, Brother Jack, Ras– yet as the novel progresses the invisible man is able to uncover flaws within each approach. Right as the narrator seems to be finding his place in the world, it is taken away from him and he is lead astray once again. It seems as though the reader is being prepared to ultimately judge the final approach the narrator himself has found to be truly the most efficient, only to realize that as Ellison puts it, “the end was in the beginning.”

The narrator himself decides that what is best for him after being led in various directions was to temporarily hibernate. Although he acknowledges that living in hibernation is not an efficient approach to life and there is a time when he will emerge, he has proven his ability to finally lead his own path. While it may have seemed that Ellison was attempting to lead his reader down a particular path, it becomes evident that he hopes for the reader to find the courage within themself to create their own, as the invisible man learns to do.

While Ellison has the reader believing that he will lead the reader down the correct path, he actually shows the reader through the telling of the invisible man’s own experiences why one should not expect another to guide them. Rather than following a path that may be deemed socially admirable or appear to be favorable, Ellison hopes to encourage the reader to rid themselves of societal expectations and limitations in order to discover themselves as individuals. He wishes to demonstrate that only then will one be able to lead their own path.

Although it becomes apparent that Ellison advocates for diversity and individuality which develop apart from society, he does not deny how challenging it is to neglect societal expectations. The majority of the novel showcases the narrator’s struggles and actually emphasize how challenging it can be, but the reader is always aware that the narrator will end up in a relatively good state because of its retrospective narrative. By utilizing this technique, Ellison emphasizes the importance of the process that is essential to discovering oneself and assures the reader that it is attainable regardless of its many diversions.  

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