Invisibility as an Escape from Racial Degradation

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses two opinions of ways to escape from racial degradation and the pain associated with it as an African-American male. It analyzes the views of Ralph Ellison and James Weldon Johnson in their works "The Invisible Man" and "Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man," respectively. The paper compares their approaches to escape and how they are portrayed in their books.

From the Paper:

"Both Ralph Ellison and James Weldon Johnson chose a life of invisibility over the pain and suffering related to living in American society as a black man. Ellison's narrator chooses to ignore his individuality for the time being and instead to reside within the larger stereotype as a way to avoid the unwanted attention of a white audience. Despite his association with several African American groups aiming at social reform, the invisible man realizes that it is much easier to stay invisible then to try and force the white community to recognize you. James Weldon Johnson's narrator chooses a different form of invisibility but with the same motivations. Due to his mixed heritage, he has the choice to be seen as a white man. After seeing how horrible American racism can truly be, he decides to abandon his African heritage and all the degradation which accompanies it to live a middle class white life. He becomes invisible in that he "passes" as Caucasian in white society. This opens up new doors for him and ensures he will not have to deal with the prejudice many of his fellow black Americans must deal with on an everyday basis. Both characters show cowardice in their choice to become invisible to American racism, but can anyone really blame them for their choice?"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Signet Classics. New York. 2005.
• Dubois, W. E. B. Souls of Black Folks. Found in the Norton Anthology of African American Literature. W.W. Norton. 2nd ed. 2003.
• Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. Vintage International. New York. 1980.
• Gramsci, Antonio. "The Intellectuals." Selections from the Prison Notebooks. International Publishers. New York. 1971.
• Harper, Frances E. W. Iola Leroy. Beacon Press. Boston. 1987.

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