Class Discussion "On the Meaning of Invisible Man"

     Ralph Ellison's story "The Invisible Man" is partially about race in that it uses the social difference of blacks and whites to elicit a deeper meaning: No one should be mistreated based on the way they look, talk, or otherwise appear. Judgment should be based on beliefs and personalities. "All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what is was" (page 1264) is arguably the best representation of this idea since it references how people tried to tell the narrator WHAT his identity was and WHO he should be. Such can only be achieved by the individual.
     When this novel was published in the 1950s it is obvious why many perceived its meaning to refer to race. "I am not ashamed of my grandparents for having been slaves." (p. 1254) references slavery, "I was invited to give the speech at a gathering of the town's leading white citizens." denotes social inequality (p. 1255), "Let me at that big nigger." (p, 1257) shows racial slurs, and "You sure that about 'equality' was a mistake?" (p. 1263) is definitely segregation context. All of these factors would have made anyone who read the book during the 1950s think of Civil Rights and the conflicts between blacks and whites. It does not necessarily mean people at that time were ignorant, simply segregation was a major issue in the era.
     It would be easier now to grasp the story's true meaning because Civil Rights are U.S. law and racists are widely frowned upon. Nonetheless, it would require a thorough reading of the "Invisible Man" for one to fully comprehend its message. Currently, there are no all black sit-ins or mass marches specifically against segregation as shown in "Ain't Scared of Your Jails." Yes, there is still racism but the minority of racists in the U.S. do not conflict with the meaning of the "Invisible Man." Also, if a contemporary reader analyzed this novel without knowing Ellison's original statement it would make it harder to grasp the main idea but it would certainly not be impossible.