True Identity In Ralph Ellison's 'Invisible Man'

834 Words4 Pages
Jesus Jauregui Jr Mr. Joham AP Literature/Period 3 8 February 2012 Invisible Man “Better late than never” is a famous quote which means it is better to do or know something late rather than to never do or hear something. This quote could perfectly be applied to Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. In it, the nameless narrator is constantly learning vital information after he acts. For example, the narrator got in trouble for taking Mr. Norton to go see Trueblood and to the Golden Day. He did not realize that Dr. Bledsoe would get mad at him because he was only doing what Mr. Norton told him to do. Dr. Bledsoe reveals to the narrator who he really during their conversation in his office. The passage in which Dr. Bledsoe reveals his true identity reveals that he is a power-hungry person, will do…show more content…
Bledsoe says to the narrator greatly help move the plot of the novel. First, the narrator sees that Dr. Bledsoe is not who he thought he was. The narrator once looked up to Dr. Bledsoe because he thought Dr. Bledsoe got to where he is through hard work, not by manipulating and going against what he likes. The narrator lost the only idol he had, and in a sense is now all alone. He has nobody to look up to or to get advice from. This disillusionment the narrator experiences comes into play again when he realizes the Brotherhood is only looking out for the interests of themselves and not for the people, whom the narrator fights for. For example, after he finds out the true goal of the Brotherhood, the narrator finally loses the illusion that he can remain a free individual within the Brotherhood. He learns that the condition for membership in the Brotherhood is blind obedience to its ideology. Just as his college hired him to show Mr. Norton only what the college wanted Mr. Norton to see, the Brotherhood has hired him to say only what it wants people to hear. The narrator is powerless in both cases, and realized this only after he committed his

More about True Identity In Ralph Ellison's 'Invisible Man'

Open Document