Invisible Man and History Flashcards
What literary form is Invisible Man considered?
A bildungsroman.
What does a bildungsroman typically follow?
The protagonist’s development from naivety to self-awareness.
How does the protagonist of Invisible Man begin his journey?
As an eager and idealistic young man.
What does the narrator confront as he develops in Invisible Man?
The harsh realities of racial oppression and systemic invisibility.
What key institutions does the narrator initially trust in the novel?
The college, the Brotherhood, and societal expectations.
What is the narrator’s realization by the end of the novel?
That his identity cannot be dictated by oppressive external forces.
How does the narrator’s journey relate to African American history?
It reflects the broader struggle for self-definition within a history that marginalizes Black voices.
What is the broader metaphor of the bildungsroman in Invisible Man?
It symbolizes the collective awakening of African Americans to their history and identity.
What does Ellison’s novel blur between?
History and myth.
How do institutions manipulate history in Invisible Man?
They use history to serve their own ends, reducing individuals to tools for a larger myth.
How does the Brotherhood manipulate history in Invisible Man?
By co-opting the narrator’s voice and erasing his individuality, despite claiming to champion equality.
What does the concept of invisibility represent in Invisible Man?
The erasure of African American identity in dominant historical narratives.
How does the narrator reclaim his identity by the end of the novel?
By embracing his invisibility as a form of resistance and stepping outside the grand narrative.
How is African American history reflected in Invisible Man?
Through references to key moments like slavery, Jim Crow, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Civil Rights Movement.
How does Ellison incorporate African American music into the novel?
By using songs like Louis Armstrong’s “[What Did I Do to Be So] Black and Blue” to underscore themes of invisibility, alienation, and cultural resilience.
