Invisible Man | Overview

Although Ellison has expressed doubts about Invisible Man's enduring worth, critics have been almost unanimous in ranking it among the best post- World War II American novels. By universalizing the experience of American blacks, Ellison is often credited with having transcended more political works of social protest. The "invisibility" referred to in the title is the end result of an existential search for identity. The unnamed narrator slowly realizes that people see only what they wish to see in others and are themselves defined by concepts imposed upon them. Ellison is often...

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