An Existential Approach To Cultural Identity In Invisible Man

Ellison is an excellent contemporary writer. His masterpiece Invisible Man arouses the attention of many critics. Critics discuss it from various perspectives. Among these approaches, existentialism is an effective one. Existentialism had its origin in the19th century. It is a philosophical movement. There are three basic principles of existentialism:absurdity; anxiety; and quest for freedom. The era of Ellison is a period of existentialism. Ellison himself might be greatly influenced by existentialism. Furthermore, existentialism is also a literary trend. Therefore, existentialism is applicable to analyzing literary works. In Invisible Man, there is a nameless protagonist. Ellison describes his experience from unconsciousness to awareness. This process can be well explained by the three basic principles of existentialism. Based on the previous studies, the study takes cultural identity as its target, analyzes the protagonist’s experience from the existential approach, and focuses on his process of self-discovery. The study consists five parts:In introduction, the thesis introduces Ralph Ellison and his Invisible Man. In this part, the author also reviews the previous studies, introduces the basic theories of existentialism, and briefly outlines the present approaches of the thesis.Chapter One analyzes the existentialistic tendency of black culture from the situation of black culture and the pursuit for black cultural identity.Chapter Two discusses the existential problems of black culture, that is, conflicts with white culture, and Ellison’s sense of alienation from white culture.Chapter Three analyzes the protagonist’s experience of questing for cultural identity. His tries to forget his tradition and his history. However, at last, he accepts his culture and decides to cherish his cultural heritage.From the above analysis, it can be concluded that existentialism is effective in the analysis of cultural identity in Invisible Man. The protagonist’s experience is a journey of pursuing cultural identity.