Charlie Hechler Blog

The narrator has written the entirety of the book Invisible Man  underground, which attributes to his unique perspective on things. He is able to reflect on his life in a much clearer and unbiased way, free from the influence of external pressures. Being completely removed from society allows the narrator to be free in his thoughts. This is in direct contrast to any other view he has throughout his life. He has been above the ground his entire whole life. The narrator has even had a view of the world from the top when he was extremely successful working for the Brotherhood. However, his vision has always been clouded by external pressures and motivations. Underground he is free from pressures to be successful, and the responsibilities of the world. His whole life he has been chasing his identity. In his younger years, the narrator had been pursuing the creation of identity but after his accident at the paint factory, it is clear that he instead searched for his own identity. Howeve...

The narrator of Invisible Man  has gone through some crazy character changes, many that have to do with the incident at Liberty Paints. The narrator has gone through a rebirth of sorts, he was given some sort of electronic lobotomy, which had no connection to the physical injuries that he sustained during the accident. The medical treatment he is given at the factory hospital seems so surreal, it is clear that Ellison wants us as readers to think deeper about the events that lead to the narrator's change in character, and what the changes mean for the progress of the narrator towards freedom and invisibility.  The treatment that the narrator is given at Liberty Paints is incredibly cruel and nightmarish. The doctors operate on him with experimental techniques with the goal of making him more docile. This is incredibly strange as the narrator is somewhat docile to begin with, with mainly goals of success and material wealth on his mind. The treatment seems to have almost the ex...