Question 7: Invisibility

I do not think that invisibility is specific to race or ethnic background. The theme of race and what it means to be "black" during this time is apparent throughout The Invisible Man, but I don't think that it is the sole reason for the narrator's feeling of invisibility. Invisibility can mean a number of things. One could feel invisible because they don't have a voice or they may feel insignificant within a large number people. An example I gave in class was when I made the transition from high school to college. In high school, I felt that I could at least recognize everyone and for the most part they could recognize me. Here, in college, it is a totally different experience. There are now 6,000 undergrads and I feel invisible at times when I walk around campus and I don't even recognize someone's face.

As for The Invisible Man, there are numerous examples of the narrator feeling invisible. I think he is going through a bit of an identity struggle. In college he had no control over anything and had to put on a front in order to remain in school (a reason for his expulsion). When he joins the Brotherhood, he finally has a place to feel less invisible. They "value" his opinion and encourage him to speak out and become known. However, when they turn against him, he says, "Up to now, I had felt a wholeness about my work and direction such as I'd never known; not even in my mistaken college day. Brotherhood was something to which men could give themselves completely...and it was this sense of wholeness that guaranteed that it would change the course of history" (406). Here, it is evident that the narrator is struggling with a sense of abandonment and rejection. He is back to square one again: invisibility.