Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man

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Classic pieces of literature often display various themes, such as family or friendship. However, these topics typically morph a character, whether it be for better or worse. In Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, the audience is introduced to a man hiding deep within the depths of a hole, surrounded by thousands of lightbulbs. The narrator goes on to tell his history, which features the growth of a naive college boy to someone who is aware of the shortcomings of society. Throughout the novel, the narrator experiences a series of betrayal from which he slowly transforms himself. At the start of the novel, the narrator is a young black man in the midst of his college career. The narrator is attending the southern university on a scholarship, and is enjoying his experience there. The story beings with the narrator driving around a wealthy white man who is a sponsor to the university and influential among the administration, Mr. Norton wanted to see around the campus area and …show more content…
Bledsoe, made the executive decision to punish the narrator from the moment he heard of what had happened during the tour. He placed full blame on the narrator and chose to expel him from the university, as he recognized the narrator’s naive nature that would likely cause more harm than good in the future; though even the expulsion was disguised as a temporary leave. However, Bledsoe offered to aid him in getting a job in New York and promptly had his secretary make letters of recommendation to hand to the dean’s business acquaintances. The rule to the letters was that the narrator may not open them, that he may only hand them to the person they were addressed to; he followed those instructions and finally after a long wait, he received a call. At his interview, he was informed that the letter was not a recommendation but rather a letter formally expelling the narrator. Not only did Bledsoe hide the nature of the temporary leave, but also the content of the
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