What "Invisible Man" Taught Me About Identity
A few summers ago, I read Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. When I finished the book, I felt heard because I could finally understand in greater depth a feeling I had contemplated for a long time. The feeling was me searching for my identity outside of the colour of my skin. Two lines from the first chapter of Invisible Man when Ellison says, "All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was…I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I had the answer to,” hit me directly in the heart. As a young Black man, I have spent the last twelve years in schools where I was often one of the few People of Colour. It was difficult at times trying to discover where I belonged when hardly anyone looked like me. Now as a student at the University of Guelph in the Studio Art Program, I continue to reflect on what it means to belong. There were many moments when people would see me as something before they saw me as someone.
The Struggle to Be Seen
The narrator in Invisible Man is not literally invisible and is often mistaken for the narrator in H.G. Wells’ 1987 science fiction novella The Invisible Man. In essence, Invisible Man is a story about what happens when people refuse to see you outside of their preconceptions and the expectations society has placed on you. This idea profoundly resonated with me in a way I had not considered before. Growing up in a predominantly white area, I quickly realized how often people attach your identity to the colour of your skin. For me, sometimes that meant being expected to act a certain way or take an interest in things I was never interested in before. Other times, it meant being invisible in my friend groups because I looked different from everyone else. What intrigued me about Invisible Man is that the narrator is not simply trying to be recognized as a Black man - he is also trying to be recognized as a human being with complex thoughts, contradicting beliefs and imperfections. The struggle to be seen as a sophisticated portrait felt strangely familiar. In the spaces where I was one of the few and sometimes the only Person of Colour, I would start to question if I was showing up authentically in front of my peers or if I was showing up as a version they wanted me to be.
Showing up Authentically
What Invisible Man helped me understand is that identity does not have to be constrained to how people label you, even when those labels are real and rooted in a history of complications and trauma. Being Black is a part of who I am and it always will be. However, it is not the entirety of my existence. In an abstract way, Ellison granted me permission to believe that my identity can be limitless. This is why I cultivated a personal connection to the arts. Through art, I am able to express a side of myself that is not held back by expectations. I get to express a side of myself that people may have been unaware of.
The Power of Empathy and Inclusivity
You may wonder why a novel written decades ago is still relevant today and I think the answer to that is simple: we still live in a world that is quick to categorize people without listening to their stories. This is why the arts are important. Novels like Invisible Man intentionally avoid spoon-feeding the audience easy answers to complicated questions. Instead, they create a pathway of empathy that people can feel and relate to. They teach us the value of listening to others' perspectives that get overlooked and to question ideas we accept as absolute truth. I care about including everyone in spaces where they feel comfortable expressing themselves without feeling afraid. My experience as a Person of Colour taught me that being seen is not just about being visible. It is also about being heard and acknowledged. If there is one thing the world needs right now, it is inclusivity for all people, regardless of their race, religion, background or social class.