Invisibility

A new concept of invisibility is introduced by the speaker of the novel. Through the entire prologue, the speaker talks about his invisibility that has been an advantage for him but constantly a frustration as well. He makes it clear it is not a condition nor a "spook,"( Ellison 3) however, he is invisible because people have chosen not to see him.

The speaker proves people are blind when it comes to him, by telling a story about this. After accidentally bumping to a blonde white man that insulted him, he tries to get the man to apologize, but as the man refuses, he loses control and nearly killed him. After reading about it on the newspaper, the speaker laughs and truly believes it wasn't his fault. It was the blonde man's fault since he didn't apologize. He even says that if the police had come, they would have obviously blamed him.

This statement brings an important theme, racism. Since the beginning, we learn that the speaker is black, which says a lot about his invisibility, maybe even the major reason of it. The speaker being invisible is just a metaphor to a much bigger concept, racism. We can infer this since slavery and black people are a theme discussed even by the characters. Supposedly, slavery at the time of the speaker had already ended, and equality in America is now present. However, black men remain separate, even by attending a different college for young black men. Even when the speaker gives his speech, white men laugh at him and ridicule his race by forcing only black men to fight for their own entertainment. Although slavery had stopped, colored men were still treated as property and animals, laughing at how they tried to get fake coins and bills on an electrified rug.

Anyways, the speaker is given a scholarship for the college of black people, continuing with the separation of races. However, he is considered lucky or this, and even rides a white founder of the college around the campus. They talk about what they see and as they see Jim Trueblood, his story comes up to discussion. Living in a small home that used to be a slave quarter, Trueblood had sex with his own daughter. Disturbed by the situation, the white man, Mr.Norton, wishes to speak with the black man. Even though Trueblood committed a terrible crime, Norton ends up giving him money for his kids, just like every other white man does instead of punishing him for his horrific actions.