Scholars,
When reading the prologue to Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man we are confronted with the image of "light"; The narrator makes many uses for the word. As readers we see "light" used literally as the narrator describes his basement room filled with 1,369 light bulbs and we see "light" used figuratively as the narrator explains his ability to "see the darkness of light".
Consider the following passage from page 6:
"My whole is warm and full of light. Yes, full of light. I doubt if there is a brighter spot in all of New York than this whole of mine, and I do not exclude Broadway. Or the Empire State Building on a photographer's dream....The two spots are among the darkest of our whole civilization-..I not can see the darkness of lightness... 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".
What do you think is the purpose of light in the prologue? What does light represent? Explain.
AM.
When reading "Invisible Man" I felt that light symbolized both comfort and enlightenment. In his home full of light, "the man" perfectly sees who he is, but when he steps out into the outside world, "the man" feels invisible in the sense that other people aren't able to see his true self. Although light is shine upon him, people only see his shadow, the one he shares with many other individuals of the same race. While darkness represents society's ignorance to racial individuality, light represents the knowledge "the man" wants to spread and made known—he isn't and shouldn't be defined by his race.
ReplyDeleteI feel the light symbolizes his recognition. He feels alive and complete and seen in his hole, but when he is out in the open, that is where the darkness is present. He is invisible to the outside world. The light shows his true self and true qualities.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the light represents his hope to be accepted, which is why he says he desires and needs it. His desire to be accepted is what keeps him going and explains his attraction to light while he knows the reality, or the darkness, of the actual situation he is in since he knows the color of his skin is the only thing that others see in him.
ReplyDeleteHe's front and center stage. The spotlight is on him when he is at home. He isn't hiding back stage and he isn't just some prop in this room, he is the star of the show. The light reveals his true self, his true soul. This soul of his is a lot stronger and brighter than anyone's in the whole city. He makes the room shine more than Broadway.
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