Invisible Man

How do we define who we are? When do we start to decide to create our own path? Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison plays into the concept of humanity's struggle to find oneself. The Invisible Man struggles from place to place trying to prove to the people around him that he is worth something. After he watches society crumble around him because of his associates in the Brotherhood he finally decides to wait away from society until he can decide who he is. He asks, “What and how much had I lost by trying to do only what was expected of me instead of what I myself had wished to do?” Part of being yourself is allowing time to find yourself.


This book also plays with the idea that no one person truly has only one personality. At a concert a person may dance and sing but in school they may quietly mind their way through the halls. The circumstances a person puts them-self in can decide the side of them they will reveal. Sometimes accepting yourself is accepting your multiple personalities.