Most often in literature, the concept of invisibility is taken to the extreme, that of being physically transparent and invisible to anyone. In popular media, the hero is also often presented as invisible, going behind the enemy's back to accomplish his mission. In Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, this view of invisibility is reversed; rather than being invisible and noticed, a man is in plain sight of everyone. However, due to a multitude of stereotypes and prejudices, no one recognizes what he accomplishes. Beginning his journey as a man who stays on the sidelines by doing what he is told, he is quickly forced to leave and go elsewhere to “find himself.” This change places him in a position that may be closer to the more common concept of invisibility, one who fights for fairer rights without anyone noticing. Our anonymous hero (hereafter referred to as "the narrator") takes us on a journey that expands the concepts of both an invisible pacifist and an aggressor. At the beginning, the narrator is an anxious and impatient future student who only wants to please his superiors and do what they ask. He goes to the town hall to give a speech and is then pressured to participate in the "battle royal" carried out by some of his classmates (also black) for the entertainment of the white men. This scene is one of many scenes that serve as metaphorical and symbolic representations of invisibility and the related theme of blindness. Walton Muyumba, a literary critic, agrees with this and states that "Ellison blindfolds the boys to act out his themes of blindness and invisibility in the context of a white audience" (Walton Muyumba 60) . In short, the headbands serve as a symbol to ...... middle of paper ......es of events that make him see that he is invisible. Ralph Ellison's use of invisibility contributes to his attempt to illustrate the imperfections of society. As evidenced by the massive critical acclaim and being considered a masterpiece, it achieved success. Works Cited Auden, WH "The Unknown Citizen". Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, nd Web. December 10, 2013. Ellison, Ralph. The invisible man. New York: Vintage International, 1995. Print. Muyumba, W. (2009), “Black is, Black Ain't: Violence, Blacks Masculinity and the Novel as Democratic Symbol”. In Muyumba, W. (2009) The shadow and the act: black intellectual practice, jazz improvisation and philosophical pragmatism. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, p. 49-89. “Racism as an obstacle to individual identity”. Dissertation on racism as an obstacle to individual identity with 1699. Paperdue.com, nd Web. December 9. 2013