Invisible Man--Are we all blind???

Quote: "'That's it, as white as George Washington's Sunday-go-meetin' wig and as sound as the all-mighty dollar! That's paint!' he said proudly. 'That's paint that will over just about anything!" (Ellison pg. 201,202)

The above quote is of utmost importance to the novel, Invisible Man. This simple quote summarizes a main theme of the book; it was used to demonstrate how whites felt that they were naturally superior to blacks, and it shows how they wanted to "cover up" black culture in society by replacing it with white values. The Liberty Paint Plant's premium color, Optic White, is the paint being spoken of here. In the quote, it is boasted that Optic White will cover up nearly anything; the purpose of this paint plant microcosmically represents the purpose of white America. Like the white paint, the white population tries to subvert and smother black identity. As a result of the prejudice of the epoch, blacks attempted to assimilate themselves into society, to blend in. The blacks suppressed their true identities, and because of this, an entire culture fell between the cracks. All of this is characterized in this single quote, deeming it essential to the novel.

Theme: A Struggle For Identity

In the novel, the narrator struggles with his identity. This is an important theme of the novel--individuality. Throughout the book, the narrator's identity was determined by others. Others such as the head of the college, Sybil, and even the Brotherhood, use the narrator for the furtherance of their own ambitions; they view him as a tool or an instrument, not as a human being, not as an individual. Others' inability to see the bigger picture hampers is own ability to act. The narrator had a great mind, it would have been beneficial for him to use it. The narrator brought this treatment upon himself, for he allowed himself to be abused. Racism also contributed profoundly to this abuse, however--it was not all his fault.
One key reason that the narrrator remained unnamed throughout the novel was to show this struggle for identity; he did not truly know who he was, he knew only what others told him he was. Ellison utilized this theme to the maximum extent to further the purpose of the novel.

Reaction/Reflection:

Invisible Man was one of my favorite books of this year. It was an endlessly deep and meaningful novel, hitting on many sensitive and compelling issues, some of which still exist today. It was a relatively long novel, but its length was not a result of luquaciousness or verbosity. Every single word or sentence in this novel was of considerable importance, nothing was superfluous. Several deep and powerful themes were often depicted at once, through common symbols. One symbol could represent much more than it appears at first glance. Through Ellison's tale of microcosms and analogies, his prevailing themes remain clear. Because each word carried such intensity and emotion, I respect Ellison as a writer and would dub this book a masterpiece. Sheer briliance...