A Study Of Symbolism In Relation To The Theme In Invisible Man

The publication of Invisible Man in 1952 has earned Ralph Ellison great reputation as the major African American writer. With intimated knowledge of the black community, folk culture and wide background in American classical literature, Ellison has created an epic-like novel about a black man searching for self-identity in the modern United States. What contributes to the great success has always been the focus in the academic field.The present thesis attempts to analyze how the original and deft use of symbolism serves the dominant themes so as to introduce a new way to understand and interpret Ellison and his masterpiece Invisible Man. The thesis is structured into six parts. Introduction part gives a brief account of research purpose and significance, the previous researches at home and abroad as well as the scope of the present study. Chapter 1 gives a profile of Invisible Man and explores Ellison's life experience so as to reveal the factors exerting profound influence on his writings. In Chapter two, the focus is put on illustration of symbolism, which serves as theoretic frame. Symbolism, as one of the prominent characteristics of modernism, has its own origin, historical development, main principle and influence. The following three chapters concentrate on how various kinds of symbols are exquisitely interwoven to strengthen the themes. According to the major themes of the novel, the symbols in the present study are summarized into three groups:1) symbols indicating the miserable life of the black; 2) symbols indicating the identity crisis; 3) symbols indicating identity searching. By virtue of a series of symbols, including symbols of characters, objects and plot, Ellison succeeds in presenting his great concern over the existence of the back in the white-dominated society. Although on the surface, the themes run in parallel, they are interwoven underneath. Ellison's ultimate goal is to suggest the universal problem----identity crisis by presenting the state of most Africa-Americans deprived of the identity in the white-dominated culture and their hardships in searching for cultural identity. The conclusion part sums up the former chapters, reiterates the significance of symbolism in intensifying the themes and makes a brief evaluation.In brief, the main purport of this thesis is to interpret the text of Invisible Man from thematic perspective by connecting literature with symbolism so as to help readers to gain a deeper understanding of Ellison's craftsmanship in penetrating into humanity, racism and self-identity.