Themes of The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison which distorts reality many times in many different ways. This distortion creates a significant effect on the reader. The Narrator's blindness, his dreams, and his surrealistic experiences convey emotion and dramatically show the central theme of the novel, a quest for identity, much greater then realism would. IM's blindness contributes the most to the distortion of the novel during the Battle royal scene. The narrator literally and figuratively wears …

…struggle to gain identity when surrounded by machinery and science. The distortion in The Invisible Man works better then realism could have. IM's blindness, his dreams, and his surrealistic experiences convey emotion, and show IM's feelings, in addition to helping us understand the meaning of the novel, by distorting reality. These make Ellison's message possible : In one way or another, we are all blind, and need to learn how to remove the blindfolds blinding us.