Symbolism In Thematic Presentation

Invisible Man has been regarded as one of American literary classics since it came out in 1952. It is an exact description of African Americans' real existence situation. Ellison appeals to the whole society for mutual understanding between blacks and whites to erase the racial discrimination, instead of violence. Through the novel, Ralph Ellison used symbolism to reveal the themes. He endowed characters and their actions such as grandfather's will, objects such as boomerang and some other symbols such as darkness and brightness with specific meanings different from their literal meanings. Symbolism, a writing technique, helps unfold the many-faceted themes. There are two major themes in the novel: first, the novel is concerned about the wretched situation of African Americans, who have never been identified and respected in the society. Second, the author has showed much consideration for the identity-shaping process of individual. He puts forward a worldwide question for everyone: how can we be accepted as individual in the world.In the novel, the symbols exert a far-reaching influence on expressing the themes, reflecting the characters' emotions, promoting the development of the plots and foreshadowing the future events. The author is apt at combining concrete objects with abstract meanings.