what it means to be a black human being in America. In theprologue to the novel, the author writes:

I am an invisible man . . . I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me . . . When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination—indeed, everything and anything except me.

In his effort to discover himself, the narrator, a black man, sees reality through his eyes alone. He is a naïve youth who envisions himself stereotypically, believing that success depends upon pleasing whites. He does not achieve any sense of self-reliance until the end of the novel. As he proceeds on his journey through life, he realizes that people treat him according to what they believe he represents, not realistically.

Ellison portrays the narrator’s quest for identity existentially. At first, he wants to be what he thinks other people want him to be. He soon realizes that conclusion is meaningless. If he is to learn his real nature as a human being, he must follow his own instincts. It is incumbent upon him alone to learn what it is to be a black man in America. While he begins his journey by responding to stereotypical white prejudices, he slowly recognizes the need to develop black pride. He understands that it is up to him, not American society, to move forward successfully. Once he views himself as a valuable human being regardless of skin color, he concludes his invisibility is absurd. With a new existential view of the world and himself, he finds his own purpose in life and is ready to shape his own future.