The Invisible Man is a novel about the experience of an African American man who is depicted in American society in the 1940s. The white-dominated society oppressed the black peoples forcing the main protagonists to refer to themselves as socially invisible. His lack of identity and invisibility was contributed by the way he perceived himself and the racial injustice and prejudice caused by the white society. The author portrays the dignity of the characters in a manner in which the characters perceive themselves and how society treats and views them. The invisible man completely loses his dignity that he portrays himself in terms of racial stereotypes such as savage and bumpkin. The passage that stood out for me is when the main character describes how he desires to discover himself, then he would be free.
On his deathbed, the protagonist’s grandfather advised him that he should continue living with his head in the lion’s mouth. This was a riddle that was symbolic. The narrator was being advised to continue fighting for freedom and break free from the chains of enslavement that his family had endured in the hands of the whites. The society that was white-dominated is represented by the lion. The narrator gave a speech where he severally uses the term ‘’social responsibility’’. However, he mistakenly mentioned ‘’social equality’’ and this caused uproar among the white crowd. By using the term ‘’social responsibility’’, the narrator was trying to advise his fellow blacks to work hard so that they can be granted equality by the whites instead of clamouring for civil and political rights. Therefore, the black people would attain equality by putting their energy towards economic success.
