An Arduous Course Of Identity Construction On Invisible Man

In his masterpiece, Invisible Man, published in 1952, Ellison presents the evolution of a central theme: the more aware a person is of his personal, communal, and cultural identities, the freer he becomes. This paper intends to explore this central identity theme. The need for this study lies in two aspects. First, the importance of understanding who one is in order to know where one is going never diminishes. Second, in this ever-changing globalization era, identity exploration has its practical significance. The anxieties, alienation and identity dilemma Ellison describes in his work about his protagonist are the issues that not only face the African-Americans but haunt a vast majority of other peoples. Therefore, it could be said that the problem of identity and existence that Ellison poses transcends the issues of social justice, equality and racial boundaries and has its universal appeal.Specifically, three types of identities will be examined in the paper: self-identity, communal identity and cultural identity. Through the detailed analysis of the protagonist's quest for these three types of identities and his construction of these three types of identities, the paper draws the conclusion that the protagonist's identity is not born and fixed but dynamic and evolving. The migration of his identity is from innocence to experience and from illusion to disillusion, not just from the paradise-like South to the hell-like North. By developing his story along mythic lines, incorporating different symbols and elements of common cultural experience, Ellison demonstrates how an innocent young black grows into an articulate orator and astute writer. The protagonist's progress is finally a pilgrimage of the self although turbulences and chaos accompany this journey. The journey is not an individual adventure but pregnant with apocalyptic meanings. Each reader of Invisible Man will take something different and lasting from the novel. Invisible Man's story, its significance and endurance will last with each new reader.