Invisible Man Infographics

Invisible Man

                “When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.”

 

About The Author

Ralph Ellison (1 March 1913-16 April 1994) was an American novelist, scholar, and literary critic. One of his best-known novels is Invisible Man. He wrote many novels and essays like Shadow and Act and Going to the territory. He was known as “among the gods of America’s literary Parnassus.” He was born in Oklahoma. He was the first African-American elected to the Century Association. He had won many awards.

About The Novel

The novel Invisible Man is a best-selling book and won the National Book Award in 1953. The story is about a black man who became invisible due to some circumstances. He is a gifted public speaker who was invited to give a speech to a group of white men in the town. There he gets criticized because of his skin color. He started working at The Brotherhood, where Jack, the leader at the company, betrayed him. He decided to take revenge on Jack and The Brotherhood. The story shows many exciting incidents and the narrator’s struggle as a black man.

Genre:  Existentialist, African-American Fiction, and Social Commentary

Tone: Optimistic, Frank, and Thoughtful

Type: Science Fiction Novel

Year of Publication: 14 April 1952

 

Main Characters

  • The Narrator: Nameless protagonist of the novel
  • Brother Jack: White and loyal leader at The Brotherhood
  • Mary: A kind woman who gives shelter to the narrator
  • Sybil: The woman whom the narrator attempts to take information about The Brotherhood.

Themes

  • The isolation-the novel shows the worst form of isolation that is, surrounded by people but all alone
  • Science-Science is the central theme of the book because of the help of science; the narrator creates an invisibility formula.
  • Awe and Amazement-The novel have a theme of awe and amazement after the arrival of the invisible man in the Iping town.
  • Identity-Identity is the main theme on which the whole story revolves around. Nobody knows the identity of the invisible man, and everyone is trying to find out his real identity.