Analysis of Ralph Ellisons The Invisible Man Essay

Analysis of Ralph Ellisons The Invisible Man The prologue from The Invisible Man deals with many issues that were palpable in the 1950s, and that unfortunately are still being dealt with today. An African-American man who refers to himself as the invisible man goes through life without being truly noticed as a person. He states that because of his skin color he is only looked down upon, if he is ever noticed at all. The invisible man goes through life living in a closed down part of a basement that no one knows exists and he anonymously steals all of the power that he needs from the Monopolated Light Power Company. Ralph Ellison successfully captured the ideas and issues of the time in this essay with the elements of the†¦show more content†¦This was to show that Ellison and every American was just that, American. Everyone is a citizen no matter creed or color. The purpose of the essay was to open the publics’ eyes to the unjust treatment of minorities of that time. Ellison clearly established to his aud ience that racism was not going away and that facing the problem head on would be the only was to fix the problem at hand. This essay also used a pathetic appeal to sway the reader. Ellison wrote descriptively about the events that made the invisible man who he was. All of the examples were extraordinarily evocative in depicting the way the invisible man made it through life. From the paradigm of the invisible man and his encounter with the blond man, to the portrayal of the former slave woman, Ellison captivated the audience. â€Å"I kicked him repeatedly, in a frenzy because he still uttered insults though his lips were frothy with blood†, illustrates the invisible mans hate toward the blond man who offended him first. This dramatic recourse pales in comparison to the account of the former slave woman. When recalling a dream the invisible man recites a tale of a woman who loved her former master even though he would not free her or her children that her master fathered. This depiction pulls at the heart strings when the woman sobs after being asked about freedom, and she knows that she wi ll never be able to taste it. Overall the representations are powerful andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man756 Words   |  4 PagesSlavery, despite being abolished about 160 years ago, we as a society continue to emote those racist and bigoted feelings that those times fermented. Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man portrays how the narrator, Invisible Man (I.M), must confront the society that he resides in, where one’s skin color plays a huge factor in one’s success. 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