Identity in Invisible Man

Invisible Man

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“Identity in Invisible Man”

The question of identity in invisible man is complex, mainly because the narrator needs from external factors to identify himself. Throughout the novel, we can see that there are important elements that define his identity, as the constant imagery of light and dark. In the context where the novel develops we can see a strong influence of white people over African Americans. Another important factor is that being invisible forms part of his identity, as we all live in society, what people think has a strong influence in other people to define their identity. Also, the narrator points out that it passed several years for him to identify himself, or to realize what was the importance of living in society and how did that affected him.

We can see the imagery of light/dark in the Prologue, where we can find how does the narrator thinks after all the experience he lived: “And I love light. Perhaps you'll think it strange that an invisible man should need light, desire light, love light. But maybe it is exactly because I am invisible. Light confirms my reality, gives birth to my form.” (p.79) In the previous quote we can see how influenced the narrator is by society, because as he is invisible for almost everyone, he ended up believing what others said thought about him, in a certain way. He represents his love for light because it allows him to confirm his existence, as he is an African American, and we can see this imagery in all the novel.

Also, in the prologue there are references of his experience in society and how long did it take him to assimilate that being invisible is part of his identity, along with his feelings about it: “Without light I am not only invisible, but formless as well; and to be unaware of one's form is to live a death. I myself, after existing some twenty years, did not become alive until I discovered my invisibility.” (p. 79) In the quote we can find different references of what he has suffered, he explains that being “unaware of one’s form” is in a way, sadder than realizing his actual situation. He also talks about twenty years of ignorance, or not knowing himself, showing how much did he suffer of being manipulated by society for so long. We can see that after twenty years he finally accepted that being invisible forms part of his identity.

In Invisible Man, there a lot of references of how was the process for the narrator to assimilate that being invisible was part of his identity. With many other things, in the story we constantly see the imagery of light and dark, that is of paramount importance for the narrator to identify himself. The imagery mainly refers to the strong influence that the society had in him, as after twenty years he finally accepted how he was