In this post, we will be discussing the Character Analysis of the Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, which includes The Narrator, brother Jack, Tod Clifton, Ras the exhorter, Sybil, Rinehart, Dr. Bledsoe, Mr. Norton, Reverend Homer A. Barbee, Jim Trueblood, The Veteran, Emerson, and Mary.
Character Analysis of the Invisible Man
The Narrator
He is the protagonist but is not named in the novel. The Narrator is the “invisible man” mentioned in the title. A Black man in the 1930s of America, the Narrator believes that he is invisible since people do not realize his true nature underneath the roles stereotypes and racial discrimination forces him to perform. Although the Narrator is smart deep introspective, and exceptionally gifted in speaking but the events recounted by him prove that he was not as educated in his early years.
As the story progresses, his illusions become progressively destroyed by the experiences he had as a college student, working for his job at Liberty Paints plant, and as a member of the political organization called the Brotherhood. In shedding his blindness, he must come to the concept of his identity, which recognizes his individuality as a person without depriving him the social responsibilities.
Brother Jack
The blindly loyal and white head of the Brotherhood, a political group that claims to defend the rights of those who are socially marginalized. While he appears to be gentle, intelligent, and kind and asserts that he will defend the rights of the oppressed, but Brother Jack is actually racist and fails to recognize individuals as anything more than tools. His eyeglasses and red hair represent the blindness of his eyes and communism and vice versa.
Read the Plot Summary Of The Invisible Man HERE
Tod Clifton
The Black part of the Brotherhood and a resident of Harlem. Tod Clifton is very passionate and charming and also articulate and smart. He eventually leaves the Brotherhood; however, it is unclear if a disagreement occurs or if he’s simply been disillusioned by the Brotherhood. He then begins selling Sambo dolls in the streets, which he is believed to be both perpetuating and ridiculing the stereotype of the servile and lazy slave that the dolls depict.
Ras the Exhorter
A strong, attractive, charismatic, angry man who has a knack for public anger. Ras is a symbol of his Black nationalist movement, a violent movement to overthrow white supremacy. Ellison appears to use his position to criticize the Black nationalism of the leader Marcus Garvey, who believed that Blacks could never attain the freedom of white society. A rebel, Ras frequently opposes the Brotherhood and the Narrator often violently and can cause violence in Harlem.
Sybil
A white woman who the Narrator attempts to track down to discover details regarding the Brotherhood. Sybil rather uses the narration to perform her dream of being sexually assaulted by a “savage” Black man.
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