[Author’s Name]
[Institution’s Name]
Essay on Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
The narrator represents a classic case of the “mis-educated Negro,” taught to despise his own people—taught a version of American history so thoroughly whitewashed, he learned nothing about the countless contributions of black Americans and he has no concept of black history. Rendered invisible due to distortion and lack of documentation in U.S. history texts, taught to accept the myth of white supremacy as fact, the narrator is determined to distance himself from uneducated Southern blacks, to whom he feels vastly superior.
Discovering the actual contents of Bledsoe’s letters, the narrator is devastated to learn that the man he trusted and idolized betrayed him and ruined his opportunity for obtaining a college education and a better life. The worst insult the narrator can think of to hurl at him is not liar or traitor, but “chitterling eater.” (Ellison, 1995)
Comparing this to his earlier expulsion from college, the narrator learned his lessons well. The worst insult Bledsoe can think of to convey his outrage and hostility is “nigger.” (Ellison, 1995) By hurling this racial slur at the narrator, Bledsoe reveals his own self-hatred, which he passes on to the narrator. In this way, he perpetuates the racist stereotypes of whites who see blacks as inferior, subhuman creatures.
The narrator represents the classic naïve young man, unlearned in the ways of the world. Although he thinks of himself as educated, the narrator has simply accepted and internalized the ideas and values taught to him by others, which he accepts without question. Unable to question or to seek his own answers to complex issues and lacking a sense of identity or a definitive value system, the narrator does not have a clear sense of who he is and how he fits into society....
