An Analysis Of Invisible Man Through Deconstruction Theory

Ralph Waldo Ellison is a famous African American writer,whose masterpiece is Invisible Man,which was published in 1952.The protagonist is a nameless black,who suffers a lot of discrimination in white mainstream society because of his color,and finally hibernated underground.At that time,the white are at the center,while the black are at the margin of the world they live.The relationship between the white superiority and the black inferiority is a pair of binary opposition.According to Jacques Derrida,the pioneer of deconstruction,in traditional western culture and philosophy,people tend to think in terms of binary opposition which is originated from Plato's logocentrism.He critiques that the binary opposition is a contradictory coherence.Based on Derrida's deconstruction theory,first the author of this paper intends to analyze the binary opposition between the white and the black Ralph Ellison described in Invisible Man,which can be manifested physically,mentally,historically and orally.Then the author intends to explore Ralph Ellison's efforts of deconstructing the binary opposition between the white and the black by presenting the African American presence in his novel through the following aspects: the depiction of black's cultural elements,the awakening of the black's consciousness and the rebellion of the black.Lastly,this paper explores Ralph Ellison's creating tendency of anti-racism,anti-intra-racial-racism and anti-egoism.This paper argues that Ralph Ellison's creating efforts overturn the binary opposition between the white and the black,at the same time,supplement the African American presence,and thus deconstruct the center.