Identity And Ideological Containment In Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison is one of the most important novelists after World War II. His famous novel Invisible Man has a firm position in the American literary canon of the twentieth century. It is widely perceived that deeply rooted in African American culture and experience, Invisible Man is not just representative of African America and of America, but also a highly pertinent commentary on the human condition in the twentieth century and beyond. The protagonist of the novel-the invisible man-is baffled by the problem of his identity that haunts the modern man. The novel relates a story in which a black young man struggles in the society until he discovers his invisibility since people around refuse to see him. Finally he retreats underground and lives a life of isolation. The novel has attracted much attention from scholars and critics since its publication because of its artistic techniques and its themes.The search for identity is Ellison's major theme. This thesis adopts ideological theories to analyze the identity theme of Invisible Man, and points out that the protagonist is"contained"by ideologies that he internalizes and thus can not see his real relation with others and consequently meet his failure while searching for an identity.This thesis consists of five parts. Chapter One presents a brief introduction to Ellison's life and literary career, and gives a brief summary of Invisible Man. Also this chapter gives a survey of previous comments and criticisms on this novel. The main argument of the thesis, that the protagonist's failure to obtain a real identity is due to ideologies internalized in him, is given at the end of this chapter.Chapter Two introduces ideological theories used in this thesis. Karl Marx, FriedrichEngels, Louis Althusser and Fredric Jameson all contributed to ideological theories. This chapter introduces to their theories, especially Althusser and Jameson's understanding of ideology and its effects on individuals.Chapter Three analyzes two ideological discourses that the protagonist internalizes, and points out how the protagonist views his relation with white society while contained in these two ideological discourses.Chapter Four analyzes the failure of the protagonist's search. Because the protagonist is contained in ideological discourses that intend to keep him in an inferior position, he accepts several identities that imposed on him. Although three persons repeatedly warn him and give him advice on how to obtain a true identity, the protagonist still can not see who he really is.The last part is conclusion, in which the relation between ideological containment and the protagonist's failure to get an identity is summed up. It points out that Ellison's Invisible Man is a great ideological novel.