Identity In Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man

The invisible man spends the whole book trying to come to terms with his identity, throughout the book he continues to learn who he is and discover who he is. Ellison uses IM’s briefcase as a symbol of oppression throughout the novel, while he uses the briefcase to contrast IM’s sense of self-empowerment and his actuality of being used and controlled.
Right after the invisible man’s story starts he receives a briefcase after he is forced to be in a fight. When he receives the briefcase his in a very uncomfortable situation for himself and desperately wants to leave the area and forget that he was forced to fight and then give a speech to privileged white people. He made a speech as a speech as a representative of the black community to give …show more content…
When the invisible man receives his new name he has just joined the brotherhood and they don't want him to have any connections to the outside world of who he used to be affiliated with. “”This is your new identity.” Brother Jack said. “Open it” Inside i found a name written on a slip of paper. “That is your new name,” Brother Jack said.” and later on in the paragraph continues to say “You are to answer to no other, understand?”’ This is another complete switch in who he sees himself as again, he has to become a new person, again. This further contributes to his build up of loss for self recognition and who he thinks that he is. Later on, the invisible man receives an anonymous letter. This anonymous letter warns him to not go too fast or get too comfortable. “You are from the south and this is a white man’s world.” This is a reminder and a threat regarding where his position is in the ‘white world’ and how he is gaining power and recognition. The others in the brotherhood - where he suspects he received the letter from. He feels threatened with the success that he has created for himself. When he needs light and begins to burn the papers that he kept in the briefcase and he burns both of these papers but in doing so realizes that they are written in the same handwriting. “That he, or anyone at that …show more content…
In result of the invisible man burning all the objects in his suitcase he feels free and goes into a dreamlike state yelling or proving to the great white figures in his life that he was in control of himself, this was a big moment of acceptance and moving on for the Invisible Man. Right before the epilogue chapter the last line of the story he says “The end is the beginning” signifies that the end of other people telling him or leading and controlling who is supposed to be is the beginning of his own self-acceptance and self-created identity. The IM holding on to a briefcase that he essentially got as a child, in the beginning of the book, really signifys the growth and change, when he finally is no longer attached to the briefcase he has developed a sense of self, is the final true rebirth and it cuts off all of his ties completely with any of the bad experiences that he has shown to have. The IM completly starts over here. The is his new form of identity and self and his recognition that he doesn't need anyone else's approval to be truly himself and if he is invisible to others it is no longer relevant because they don't