Violence in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man

Abstract

The thesis aims at investigating the theme of violence, its causes and its impact on African Americans’ lives. The theme of violence will be studied theoretically and analyzed through Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man (1952). The thesis examines the theme of violence from a cultural and psychological perspective. The study explores the hidden injuries of racism on the oppressed. It also shows the difficulties that the African American man endures because of whites’ stereotypes. The thesis demonstrates the protagonist’s experiences and how he accepts his invisibility. At the beginning, the protagonist conforms to the whites’ stereotypes and obeys their orders in order to achieve his objectives. However, he realizes the danger of obeying the whites and seeks an identity of his own. The study aims to show that the acceptance of blackness is the primary way to achieve a self-definition.