The Emergence of the Trickster Figure in Ralph Ellison‘s “Invisible Man”

Authors:

Pages: 163-170
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/BFUU1966

Abstract:

In his novel, Ralph Ellison traces the painful initiation story of his protagonist called invisible man. Unlike the traditional Bildungsroman plot, however, at the end of the story, the protagonist does not rise hero-like and gain the recognition and admiration of the community. Quite to the contrary: instead of going up the social ladder, he literally goes underground in a forgotten basement, which he rigs with hundreds of incandescent light-bulbs. This puzzling attitude is the effect of the insight Invisible man gains during his epic journey from the American South to the Harlem ghetto of New York. In a society structured to favor the whites and obstruct the colored people, the protagonist’s black skin works repeatedly against him until he takes advantage of his weakness in the true spirit of the quintessential African-American folklore trickster figure.

Keywords:

African-American, folklore, initiation, trickster figure

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