Metaphor of invisibility as counter-hegemonic discourse in Ralph Ellison’s invisible man

Abstract

Throughout history, the trope of invisibility has always been ascribed to black Americans, right from period of intense slavery till twentieth century post-emancipation era and beyond. And for centuries, African American literature has always exposed racist inclinations and identity disillusionment that have characterised blacks as the periphery of the American society. Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man encapsulates the postcolonial preoccupations of despotism, racial discrimination, as well as physical and mental subjugation often associated with blacks in American society. Beyond this notion, this paper re-engages invisibility as a metaphor that deconstructs the oppressive stance of racism. It further explores the trope of invisibility not as element of physical and psychological subjugation, but as inherent reconstruction of black assertiveness.