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Invisible Man


            ?I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.? Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is an eye-opening glimpse into the racial issues of the United States in the 1950's. In his work Ellison delves into various literary styles including existentialism, surrealism, and realism. But what's most significant about Ellison's work is his exploration of the Human Condition and our inability to accept change. It is a story of so much depth that it can be read probably a hundred times and the reader will still learn new things.
             The human condition in Ellison's eyes is one of obsessive adherence to the status quo to the point that change becomes nearly impossible. The need is so great that people devote their whole lives to keeping things the way they are. This is most apparent in men like Bledsoe who are willing to step on their entire race to keep themselves where they are in society.
             But there is also a larger scale movement based in organizations like the Brotherhood who surreptitiously keep things the way they are by focusing the majority of the populace on trivial details. This is why the Brotherhood became angry with the invisible man when he incited too great of an emotional response in the people. He was sent to deal with a situation he could not possibly deal with by himself, thewoman question.?.
             It is during this time that the invisible man realizes the hopelessness of trying to change things. During his time working on thewoman question.? The invisible man performs adultery with a white woman, and when her husband walks in he is so blinded by his unwillingness to accept change, that he doesn't even notice a black man in his bed. The invisible man then begins to realize that he cannot change anything, that he is invisible because people refuse to see him. More specifically it is his ideas that make people refuse to acknowledge him.
             There are those in Ellison's view that are actually trying to change things but their views are so far from the norm that they are considered radical or even crazy.


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