The invisible man only finds salvation when he is underground, in the invisibility of solitude. But, in the end, he announces he’s coming back from solitude:

“I’ve overstayed my hibernation, since there’s a possibility that even an invisible man has a socially responsible role to play.”

(That’s a very similar sentiment to Emerson’s line)

“The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”

The invisible man only finds hope and salvation in one thing, the “principle.” The principle his grandfather (a slave) believed in and that our country was founded on.

“He accepted his humanity just as he accepted the principle. It was his, and the principle lives on in all its human and absurd diversity.”

(Of course Emerson ends his essay)

“Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.”

(And there is more)

On the last page of the book, the invisible man who had fallen into a long sleep – wakes up and announces, “I am whole.

Emerson writes that man “now and then wakes up, exercises his reason and finds himself a true prince.”

Ellison makes a point of not telling us the invisible man’s name, but he also makes a point writing how important the fake name was to the Brotherhood (the communist) and to the people.

Emerson writes, “The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs.

Ellison ends his book with the words, “I speak for you.” I take that as him talking to me as well…not just black people. He is telling us all to be self-reliant.

HIP HOP – Chris asked the question about Hip-hop’s Folk-based authenticity- The genesis of rap/hip-hop was in the black ghettos; aren’t those ghettos the modern day fields of oppression? And if they are, couldn’t the music that stems from the blight be cosidered “folk?” And Isn’t too early to tell whether any of it will be considered “high art” in the future. Do ya think that Charlie Parker ever thought he would be mentioned on the level of Mozart?

BARACK OBAMA – The gleam of hope that has energized me about Obama’s prospects was abruptly tempered upon finishing “Invisible Man.” I’m still on board Obama’s boat, but now I move with some trepidation; I wonder more about illusions…ours and his, and I fear for his safety.

He had a way of describing people whose values and talents were different from his own as ‘mediocre’ and seeing himself as objectively better. He had earned what he had gotten by effort and merit. Others wanted to be given what they didn’t deserve. The beneficiary of incredible luck and historical political momentum, he acted as though he was uniquely qualified for all the honors showered upon him. His scorn for ordinary black culture and black people may have served him well as a younger man, energizing his achievements, but it didn’t serve him well in later life, making him harsh and judgmental, leading him to exhibit an unbecoming absence of sympathy, and perhaps crippling his own imagination.