Introduction
How it is possible to render a human being invisible is quite unknown to many. Many people consider such a practice a cult, while others take it as magic. Under this discussion, there is an attempt to respond to the claims provided by the author about one character’s attempt to turn invisible. I understand that a human cannot turn invisible by himself but has to use some chemicals and knowledge to attain this state. The summary indicates that the invisible man is visible in natural circumstances. Ralph Ellison provides a good flow of occurrences that enable the reader to understand the source of the invisible character as well as the inability to reverse the invisibility.
The author uses various aspects to capture the attention of the reader and convey the theme. Characters take various roles to control the delivery of the message. The setting provides the basis for the flow of the reading. The introduction captures the attention of the reader and creates suspense. The body of the reading provides deeper details regarding the main character as well as the theme. The conclusion represents the end of the reading, marking the point at which the validity of the thesis is ascertained. In the end, the invisible man gets arrested and killed, proving that no one can be permanently invisible.
Summary
“The Invisible Man” is a text whose author is Ralph Ellison. Wells uses various characters to convey the message throughout the text. Griffin takes the role of the invisible man who strains to prove the point to the end. Marvel, another character, comes in as a friend to Griffin, and the invisible man trusts that he will be loyal and help him attain his goals. The other character is Dr. Kemp, to whom the invisible man runs after being shot by the police to seek medical attention. The cops take on the role of carrying out investigations to try to get hold of the invisible man. The other character used is the mob that beats up and kills Griffin.
The main theme of the reading is the impossibility of permanent invisibility. In this case, the theme elaborates that it is impossible for people to turn invisible permanently. For this reason, the invisible man succeeds in turning invisible on various occasions and escapes the people around him. For instance, he succeeds in running away from the landlord, who requires him to pay for the lodging and vacate the house. He, however, undresses and manages to escape without making the payment. The theme is confirmed when the same culprit is shot, captured at the end, and killed.
The reading starts with Griffin’s entry into the Iping English village. It is here that Griffin states the attempt to become invisible as he sets in with rare luggage, that is, the strange glasses. He considers them his luggage. They turn out to be the apparatus of his experiments. Griffin uses the information learned from the medical school to turn a cat invisible, as well as himself. Along the way, Griffin meets Marvel, a friend whom he trusts in his mission. However, Marvel betrays him and attempts to report the invisible man to the police. This leads to a chase between the two, where Marvel is rescued by people around him after being threatened with death. Marvel gets to inform the police of the invisible man, and the search begins, which leads to the shooting of Griffin. As the invisible man looks for help from Dr. Kemp, he also calls the police, but Griffin manages to escape using his techniques. In the end, Griffin is captured by a mob that beats him to death. As he dies, his body entirely becomes visible, and one of the police officers shouts to have the body covered.
Response
The reading was quite enjoyable as it provided a good flow of information from the beginning to the end. Due to the logical flow of the events, I found it easy to follow each of the points effectively. The writer created an early thesis by stating that “it was impossible to reverse the invisibility procedures (Ellison n.p).” This made me understand that the strategies used by Griffin were more chemical than magical. I was able to understand better, and therefore, Griffin used the knowledge that he had learned earlier. This was confirmed by the statement that “Griffin was a former medical student (Ellison n.p).”
The theme of impossibility was also brought out well by Wells, the author. This is because he portrays the invisible man as a person who can succeed in escaping and, at other times, get caught. By stating that “Griffin was shot and looked for medical attention,” Ralph Ellison (2016) provides that it is impossible to be invisible. The role of the chemicals in the experiments carried out by Griffin is clearly shown in “The people witnessed the arrival of strange bottles” (Ellison n.p), which the invisible man considered his luggage.
A good basis of evidence that Griffin was not invisible is confirmed towards the end. “As Griffin dies, one of the policemen cries out to have the body covered (Morel n.p).” This is an indication that Griffin was a cheat and quite visible. Throughout the reading, I better understand the theme of impossibilities in the world. In this case, the man considered invisible is finally caught, beaten up, and dies. The conclusion serves as a good platform for confirmation of the stated thesis and theme.
Works Cited
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible man. Penguin UK, 2016.
Morel, Lucas E., ed. Ralph Ellison and the Raft of Hope: A Political Companion to Invisible Man. University Press of Kentucky, 2015.
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