HAF2022 Blog

The idea of "invisibility" is key to the novel Invisible Man , which comes as no shock to anyone who actually read the book (or read the title). However, we are never presented with a concrete definition of what "invisibility" truly means. We know that certain characters are described to have it, such as the narrator, Dr. Bledso, Brockway, and Rinehart to list a few. While we get somewhat of a description of the invisibility of each of these characters, I believe that the Rinehart sequence gives us the most insight into what invisibility really means. The narrator describes himself as invisible in the prologue and gives quite a lot of information on the foundation of invisibility. He says that, "I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids -- and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, ...

     Ralph Ellison and Richard Wright were both part of the Communist Party of the United States of America, and they both eventually fell out with the communist party. This is reflected in their books, Native Son and Invisible Man , where the communist party is depicted in some form or another. In Native Son,  the communist party is explicitly mentioned and is shown in a somewhat negative light. In a similar vein, connections can be drawn between the Brotherhood in Invisible Man  and the communist party of real life.     However, before the connection can be made between the Brotherhood and the CPUSA, it is important to remember Ellison's history with the party. Both Ellison and Wright had a falling out with the party and started to disassociate themselves with them near or around the time they wrote their books. The negative attitude they hold towards the party, especially Ellison, helps form connections between the Brotherhood and the party. For ins...