Resumo de The Invisible Man

Often seen as one of the first works of post-modernism, the book
itself lacks any deep structure, mirroring the same lack of order in the world.
The book is intrinsically linked with the narrator?s search for personal
identity, to seek the light of truth (Ellison, 7). It is only with ?the mind?
(Ellison, 580), ?the inner eyes? (Ellison, 3) and not emotions, that he is
able to explore these intangibilities. By italicizing the word mind, Ellison
adds emphasis that this is our ability to think and reason on the deepest
level, not a superficial term created by society. He underlines that ?the mind that
has conceived a plan of living must never lose sight of the chaos against which
that pattern was conceived? (Ellison, 580) that even while we reason we must
always be in awareness of the chaos which surrounds our desire for order and
meaning. The most profound realization that the narrator comes to is that when
you ?step outside the narrow borders of what men call reality?you step into
chaos? (Ellison, 576). Society has imposed a false ordered meaning to the
world, and we are faced with a choice. We can either accept this false societal
illusion, or to reject it and become surrounded by utter chaos. The only other
option that exists is to escape into one?s imagination, and this is the choice that
Ellison invites the reader to enter, a ?world of infinite possibilities? (Ellison,
576).

A consequence of accepting this notion of
chaos is to live within contradictions, to ?approach [life] through as much
love as through hate?to approach it through division? (580), for only in doing
so can we erase the need to conform to common societal concepts of race and
gender. Instead of creating a world in which everyone seeks conformity, Ellison
wants us to embrace a diverse fate where we ?become one, and yet many? (Ellison,
577). Additionally, the narrator understands that ?contradiction is how the
world moves: Not like an arrow, but a boomerang? (Ellison, 6). Ellison, just as
Vonnegut, has constructed a new world in his imagination, which gives ?one a slightly
different sense of time? (Ellison, 8). The writers mentioned in the paper all affirm
the need to think of history as a ?spiral? (Ellison, 6), that as we move
forward, we are also reverting back to what has been: ?the end is in the
beginning and lies far ahead? (Ellison, 6). The most difficult obstacle that stands in the way of our
obtaining the true version of the world is society?s fundamental ?rage for
order,? to have to fight against the Rineharts and Ras? of the world, ?each
attempting to force his picture of reality upon [you] and neither giving a hoot
in hell for how things looked to [you]? (Ellison, 508).

To understand the chaos that exists is to
find oneself having to choose between choking oneself in order to justify those
that surround you, who are trying to ?nail down? the world and ?reaffirm
[their] mistaken beliefs? (Ellison, 573), or to completely isolate oneself from
society and enter ?a hole in the ground? (Ellison, 6). Even if one only
pretends to go along with the rest of society?s ?absurdities? (Ellison, 559),
the real danger that exists is that one becomes a ?tool? and ?by pretending to
agree [one] had indeed agreed? (Ellison, 553). At the end of the novel, the
narrator comes to terms with the fact that ?even an invisible man has a
socially responsible role to play? and that he is called to action, after
?having tried to give pattern to the chaos which lives within the pattern of
[his] certainties? (Ellison, 581). Before he even begins, however, he
acknowledges, just as Vonnegut, that ?even before I?ve finished, I?ve failed?
for he has ?used too many words? (Ellison, 570). Just as Ellison, the other writers
examined in this paper all acknowledge the failings of words and language when
trying to explain and come to terms with the deeper matters of the ?lower
frequencies? (Ellison, 581). Simply ?the act of ttrying to put it all down? in
words acts to confuse the writer, and it is almost impossible to ?articulate
exactly what [he] feels to be the truth? (Ellison, 573). However, the narrator
speaks directly to ?you,? the audience, trying to be as honest as it is
possible within his capabilities, in hopes that perhaps one person will
understand, that everyone is the same and there is no structure to the world, and
that his words will also speak for them (Ellison, 581).

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