On Ralph Ellison's Thought Of Integration

In the 1940s,under the influence of the complex background of the United States,the “double consciousness” in black literature and the early experience,Ellison came up with the thought of integration.Over the following decades,he produced a large number of works to illustrate his own opinion.Generally speaking,Ellison's thought of integration can be embodied in three aspects.First of all,in terms of creative content,Ellison promoted the integration of black tradition and American mainstream culture.In his view,cultural integration is one of the effective ways to solve racial problems.Only by transcending cultural differences and living harmoniously can the entire American society make unceasing progress.Secondly,in the form of creation,Ellison advocated the combination of protest and art.In fact,Ellison never confine himself to the established creative paradigm.Although be constrained and influenced by different organizations and individuals,Ellison firmly rejected all controls and developed his own thought.Thirdly,on the purpose of creation,Ellison proposed the unity of pursuing freedom and taking responsibility.The pursuit of individual freedom is an eternal theme in black literature,however,Ellison defined the limit of liberty and took the social responsibilities.Thus the thought of integration has more profound significance.Ellison transcended the narrow concept of race and the tradition literary mode.Although the debate about Ellison has been going on for decades,it can be said that Ellison made an important contribution to the development of contemporary American culture and opened a new situation for the black American Literature in the 20 th century.As a result,the connotation and value of his thought should be paid more attention and studied.