Racial discrimination is a problem that damages the foundations of any civilized society – it pits people against each other and has no basis other than ignorance and the thirst for power. Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" addresses this problem through the eyes of a young black man in early 20th century America, an invisible entity with no voice in a divided society, in which political decisions are made by white people. power.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The main character is, fittingly, unnamed, being an example of all black people in America. After the Civil War and the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, African Americans were officially freed from slavery, and during the Reconstruction period that followed, they gained influence in political and social circles. However, the following years brought drastic changes due to the implementation of certain laws that took away many of their rights. The Invisible Man, like all blacks in America, felt the consequences of these laws: even though they were supposed to be equal to whites, they were not allowed to use the same facilities as them or to frequent the same educational establishments. prevented from gaining political or social influence and they were constantly ignored by the upper class. Overall, they were considered unimportant and less than human by their white counterparts. This situation is presented in Ralph Ellison's book through the metaphor of invisibility, which refers to the uselessness of African Americans in a society dominated by whites. The fact that the Invisible Man is not named is representative of his lack of recognition as an individual in society. Having a name would mean having an identity, a distinct and unique personality, but being stripped of something so common emphasizes the protagonist's state of translucence in a world for which he does not matter. Invisibility is not a physical problem, but rather how others perceive it. It is therefore closely linked to blindness, which "is the state of those who refuse them as individual beings [and] these conditions are complementary". (Lopez Miralles 3) Blindness is not a disease of the body, but a disease of the mind, a problem of the “inner eyes” (Ellison 3). Ignorance and prejudice are ultimately just a matter of convenience for the upper strata of society, who are too afraid of losing or even sharing power, as the narrator remarks: "I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to do it. see me. (Ellison 3) Therefore, reinforcing racial stereotypes would only strengthen the foundations of their power, at the cost of a divided society. This discrimination is detrimental to both races, because it only pits them against each other. Refusing to recognize equality between the two can only lead to resentment on the part of the discriminated party, often escalating into violence. The confrontation in the street between the Invisible Man and the White Man, after accidentally crossing paths, illustrates the imbalance between what was expected of black people and what they were given in return. The laws would have made it impossible for a black person to defend themselves before a white man, or to have equal opportunity in a trial - and even in a situation where the African American was not at fault, "the invisible the victim is responsible for the fate of everyone. (Ellison 12) Living in this reality, where he had to be punished regardless of his actions,The Invisible Man refused to take responsibility for what he had done, as he wryly noted: “Poor fool, poor blind fool, I thought with sincere compassion. , attacked by an invisible man! (Ellison 4) His violence was simply the result of social determinism – since he was not treated like a human being, he did not feel he had to respect any authority figure, regardless of their power. . This violence against whites, however, led to a more hateful response from the latter, in an ongoing war between the races, such that "the Invisible Man and American society share responsibility for their invisibility and blindness." mutual”. (Morel 6)The conflict between the two men at night is symbolic of the inevitable clash between the races. The Invisible Man is a ghost, while the White Man is a sleepwalker, so the two cannot coexist peacefully until they are part of the same world, the same reality. There is an imbalance between the impalpable ghost and the physical sleepwalker, but not fully conscious. The ghost is more awake than the sleepwalker, but the latter has an identity visible to everyone and, therefore, he has more power to assert. The clash between the races can also be noticed in the Invisible Man's war against monopolized Light and Power. , from which he stole energy to make his hole "warm and full of light". (Ellison 5) It does indeed seem “strange that an invisible man should need light, desire light, love light” (Ellison 6), but it generally happens that one desires what he lacks. The Monopolated Light & Power represents the supremacy of the white race in social and political issues, while the narrator's flight is symbolic of his rebellion against his condition and a quiet declaration that he deserves equality. Since he cannot gain direct power or access the light without flying, he "hibernates", waiting for a chance to fight discrimination and rise to an equal position. The place that was meant to be dark, the 'hole in the ground'" (Ellison 5) is filled with light, so "Ellison's use of these symbols not only places the light beneath, rather than 'at -above " ; he places the light within, although it is important to note that the power of the Invisible Man's light comes from without. (O'Meally 154) The light from within indicates that the narrator is becoming aware of his own importance and worth, even though emphasizing his qualities as a member of society would be impossible without the acceptance of the white race in power. Both sides are emphasized in the representative battle royale scene, in which the narrator is tricked into joining in a bloody, dehumanizing fight with other blacks, for the entertainment of the "leading white citizens" (Ellison 14). Not only do they have to fight, but their eyes are also blindfolded by white cloth, making them blind to white spectators, as well as to their own race and identity. Young black men cannot see themselves or their white oppressors, so the two races become "invisible to each other as individuals." (Lopez Miralles 60) The color of the fabric is symbolic of the power wielded by influential whites – even if African Americans wanted to remove the fabric, they were forced to put it back on, being deliberately kept in the dark, so that they would not could not escape the shadow of ignorance. The narrator is also invisible to himself – under white control, he could not even control his own movements, and he felt that he "had no dignity" and "stumbled like a baby or a drunken man.".: 1988