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InvisiblemanInvisiblemanwaswrittenbyRalphWaldoEllison,whowasanAmericannovelist,literarycritic,scholarandwriter.HewasborninOklahomaCity,Oklahoma.Ellisonisbestknownforhisnovelinvisibleman,whichwonthenationalbookawardin1953.In1955EllisonwenttoabroadtoEuropetotravelandlecturebeforesettlingforatimeinRomeItalywherehewroteanessaythatappearedinaBanthernanthologycalledANewSouthernHarvestin1957.Thebook’smainthemeistoneverdoubttheinvisible.Healsowroteshadowandact(1964)，acollectionofpolitical,socialandcriticalessays,andgoingtotheterritoryin1986.Atthebeginningofthestory,Iwasattractedbythestrangerwhodescribedasacoolandmysteriousman.Ithoughtthewriterwantedtotelladetectivestorywhichincludingnervousandsuspensiveplots.However,afterfinishingreading,IfoundthatthestorywasmorewonderfulthanIexpected.Theinvisibleman,fromthedefinition,weknowthatGriffinisapersonnotaghost.Generallyspeaking,heisthemosttalentedphysicistintheworld,whocouldmakehimselfinvisible.Butthemarbleheartedsocietymakeshissuccessintoavisionaryhope.Hewasunwillingtopublishhisresearchresults,becauseeachtriestocheattheotherintheworld,thereisnoanytrustinsociety.Hewasforcedtochangehimselvestoaninvisibleman.Hethoughtaninvisiblemancouldbringanendlesshappiness.Beyondhisexpectation,hewasintroubleafterhistransformation.Hebecameselfishnessstepbystep,evenembarkedonthecriminalroad.Tomakeasuccesswithoutstruggleisimpossible,thereismuchpainandsorrowbeyondtheimagination.ThesocietydidnotholdafairstagetoshowhistalentandGriffinhimselfdidnotholdapositiveattitude,whichleadtothetragedy.Itisthusclearthatpeopleisselfish.Toforhisownbenefit,Griffinprotectedhisachievementbeingcopiedatallcosts.Toforhisownbenefit,KempandMarvelwentbackontheirworld.Whataterriblesociety.Griffinisamiserableman,sodoothers.Behavebetter,worldbecomemoresplendid.theendofhisstoryisalsothebeginning.Hestatesthathefinallyhasrealizedthathemusthonorhisindividualcomplexityandremaintruetohisownidentitywithoutsacrificinghisresponsibilitytothecommunity.Hesaysthathefinallyfeelsreadytoemergefromunderground.ThenoveladdressesmanyofthesocialandintellectualissuesfacingAfrican-Americansintheearly20century,includingblacknationalism,therelationshipbetweenblackidentityandMarxism,andthereformistracialpoliciesofBookerT.Washington,aswellasissuesofindividualityandpersonalidentity.Onemayundermineone’senemiesfromapositionofinvisibility,butonecannotmakesignificantchangestotheworld.Accordingly,intheEpiloguethenarratordecidestoemergefromhishibernation,resolvedtofacesocietyandmakeavisibledifference.Ilearnedsincetheworldabandonedme,donotadmitme,Iwillalsoturnmyeyesintotheinnerworldofmyheart.BookReviewInvisiblemanClass:B1301No.:17Name:张思奇