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RalphWaldoEllison(March1,1914–April16,1994)wasanAmericannovelist,literarycritic,scholarandwriter.HewasborninOklahomaCity,Oklahoma.EllisonisbestknownforhisnovelInvisibleMan,whichwontheNationalBookAwardin1953.HealsowroteShadowandAct(1964),acollectionofpolitical,socialandcriticalessays,andGoingtotheTerritory(1986).In1933,EllisonenteredtheTuskegeeInstituteonascholarshiptostudymusic.Afterhisthirdyear,EllisonmovedtoNewYorkCitytostudythevisualarts.Hestudiedsculptureandphotography.From1937to1944EllisonhadovertwentybookreviewsaswellasshortstoriesandarticlespublishedinmagazinessuchasNewChallengeandNewMasses.Publishedin1952,InvisibleManexploresthethemeofman’ssearchforhisidentityandplaceinsociety,asseenfromtheperspectiveofanunnamedblackmanintheNewYorkCityofthe1930s.Throughtheprotagonist,EllisonexploresthecontrastsbetweentheNorthernandSouthernvarietiesofracismandtheiralienatingeffect.Thenarratorisinvisibleinafigurativesense,inthatpeoplerefusetoseehim,andalsoexperiencesakindofdissociation.Thenovel,withitstreatmentoftabooissuessuchasincest,wontheNationalBookAwardin1953.In1955,EllisonwentabroadtoEuropetotravelandlecturebeforesettlingforatimeinRome,Italy,wherehewroteanessaythatappearedinaBantamanthologycalledANewSouthernHarvestin1957.InvisibleMan(isanovelwrittenbyRalphEllison,andtheonlyonethathepublishedduringhislifetime(hisothernovelswerepublishedposthumously).ItwonhimtheNationalBookAwardin1953.ThenoveladdressesmanyofthesocialandintellectualissuesfacingAfrican-Americansintheearlytwentiethcentury,includingblacknationalism,therelationshipbetweenblackidentityandMarxism,andthereformistracialpoliciesofBookerT.Washington,aswellasissuesofindividualityandpersonalidentity.)Thebook'smainthemeistoneverdoubttheinvisible.Inthebeginning,themaincharacterlivesinasmalltownintheSouth.Heisamodelstudent,evenbeingnamedhishighschool'svaledictorian.Havingwrittenanddeliveredanexcellentpaperaboutthestrugglesoftheaverageblackman,hegetsascholarshiptoanall-blackcollegethatisclearlymodeledontheTuskegeeInstitute.Duringhisjunioryearatthecollege,thenarratortakesMr.Norton,avisitingrichwhitetrustee,onadriveinthecountry.HeaccidentallydrivestothehouseofJimTrueblood,whoimpregnatedhisowndaughter.AttheGoldenDaytavern,NortonpassesinandoutofconsciousnessasWorldWarIveteransbeingtreatedatthenearbymentalhospitalforvariousmental-healthissuesoccupythebarandafightbreaksoutamongthem.Throughallthechaos,thenarratormanagestogettherecoveredMr.Nortonbacktothecampusafteradayofunusualevents.UponreturningtotheschoolheisfearfulofcollegepresidentDr.Bledsoe'sreactiontotheday'sincidents.InsightintoBledsoe'sknowledgeoftheeventsandthenarrator'sfutureatthecampusissomewhatprolongedasanimportantvisitorarrives.Thenarrator'sdreamsareshatteredasBledsoeexpelsthenarrator,forfearthatthecollege'sfundswillbejeopardizedbytheincidentsthatoccurred,WhiletheInvisibleManonceaspiredtobelikeBledsoe,herealizesthatthemanhasportrayedhimselfasablackstereotypeinordertosucceedinthewhite-dominatedsociety.ThenhearrivesinNewYorkandonlyfindsajobintheboilerroomofapaintfactory.Themaninchargeoftheboilerroom,LuciusBrockway,isextremelyparanoidandonedayandattacksthenarrator,whichcausesaboilertoexplode.Thenarratorishospitalizedaftertheblast.Whilerecovering,thenarratoroverhearsdoctorsdiscussinghimasamentalhealthpatient.Aftertheshocktreatments,thenarratorattemptstoreturntohisresidencewhenhefeelsoverwhelmedbyacertaindizzinessandfaintsonthestreetsofHarlem.RiotsbreakoutinHarlemandthenarratorgetsmixedupwithagangoflooters.WanderingthrougharavagedHarlem,heencountersRas,whonowcallshimselfRastheDestroyer.HeistrailedbyRastheExhorter'smenashereturnstoHarlem;buyingsunglassesandahat,he'smistakenforamancalledRinehartinseveralscenarios:alover;ahipster;agambler;abriber;andfinally,areverend.HeseesthatRineharthasadaptedtowhitesocietyatthecostofhisownidentity.Hedecidestotakehisgrandfather'sdyingadvicetoovercome'emwithyeses,undermine'emwithgrins,agree'emtodeathanddestruction....Attheendofthenovel,thenarratorisreadytoresurfacebecauseovertactionhasalreadytakenplace.Thiscouldbethat,intellingusthestory,thenarratorhasalreadymadeapoliticalstatementwherechangecouldoccur.Therefore,itisstorytellingandthepreservationofthehistoryoftheseinvisibleindividualsthatcausespoliticalchange.