Invisible Man is a novel narrated by an unnamed young Black man who tells how he came to live in hiding. Starting in the American South, he is a promising student who hopes to rise through obedience and hard work. His path takes him north to Harlem, where he meets a series of institutions, leaders and movements, each of which claims to speak for him and each of which seems to see only what it wants to see. Mixing realism, satire, dream-like scenes and the rhythms of jazz and blues, the book explores identity, power and the pressure to play a role. It is widely counted among the great American novels of the twentieth century.
Quotes
It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen, although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves.
[T]here are few things in the world as dangerous as sleepwalkers.
[T]he end is in the beginning and lies far ahead.
The truth is the light and light is the truth.