Invisibility: An Invisible Man, By Ralph Ellison
In certain ways I make the choice to remain invisible and in other ways I make myself visible to the rest of the world. On the topic of invisibility, sometimes I have gone shopping or out with my friends and seen people give me looks of dislike and distrust. They do not see me, they see in their minds how people who look like me and dress like me are supposed to look and act. In a way my real presence isn’t acknowledged only an illusion of it is. I am invisible to my own parents in many ways. They are blinded by their expectations and desires for my life that they refuse to see the real me. It is like what the narrator says in the book, “I am nobody but myself. But first I had to discover that am an invisible man,(Ellison 15). For certain parts of me people only see what they want or what they want to believe is true. …show more content…
Like the narrator in the past , I was, “looking for myself, and asking everyone except myself questions which only I could answer,”(Ellison 15). Like him, I found the answer and now I present myself exactly how I am regardless of how people feel about it. I am not a person who goes through life unseen, letting people put stereotypes on me, on the contrary, I often look and seek out attention. After a couple conversations with me anyone will know the real me and see me for who I am. In that way I am quite visible to the rest of society.
The concept of invisibility follows the existentialist theme of choice. You have a choice between accepting invisibility or trying to stand out and make yourself seen. The narrator made the choice to be invisible and has accepted the benefits and the consequences of his decision. I have likewise made parts of myself invisible and other parts visible and have suffered and benefited from that choice. I am invisible and visible at the same
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