← Back to discovery

Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison

1972439 pagesabout 7–10 hours
1972
first published
  • 1972Vintage Books · 569 pages · ENGISBN 9780394717159
  • 1989Vintage · 581 pages · ENGISBN 9780679723134
  • 1992Modern Library · 572 pages · ENGISBN 9780679600152
  • 1994Modern Library · 572 pages · ENGISBN 9780679601395
  • 1995Vintage International · 581 pages · ENGISBN 9780679732761
  • 2002Random House · 439 pages · ENGISBN 9780375507915
  • 2014Penguin Books, Limited · 608 pages · ENGISBN 9780241970560
  • 1999Tandem Library · 581 pages · ENGISBN 9780808554127

Invisible Man is the story of a young black man from the South who does not fully understand racism in the world. Filled with hope about his future, he goes to college, but gets expelled for showing one of the white benefactors the real and seamy side of black existence. He moves to Harlem and becomes an orator for the Communist party, known as the Brotherhood. In his position, he is both threatened and praised, swept up in a world he does not fully understand. As he works for the organization, he encounters many people and situations that slowly force him to face the truth about racism and his own lack of identity. As racial tensions in Harlem continue to build, he gets caught up in a riot that drives him to a manhole. In the darkness and solitude of the manhole, he begins to understand himself - his invisibility and his identity. He decides to write his story down (the body of the novel) and when he is finished, he vows to enter the world again.

How it feels

Emotional toneUnflinching
AtmosphereBleak

How it reads

Plot intensityCharacter driven
ComplexityLayered

Content notes

  • Racismmoderateunreviewed

Quotesnone available

How do you feel?