Possibilities in Ralph Waldo Ellisons Invisible Man :: Ralph Waldo Ellison Invisible Man Essays

Possibilities in Ralph Waldo Ellison's Invisible Man In the 1900’s opportunities for black people were very limited compared to the 21st century, where jobs are in abundance and more people seek-out for those opportunities. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, edited by Neufeldt and Sparks, an opportunity is, â€Å"A combination of circumstances favorable for the purpose; a good chance as to advance oneself† (413). It is not what opportunity is made available unto oneself but what decision is made to advance oneself to a higher level in life. In Invisible Man, Ralph Waldo Ellison on the belief of a land of infinite possibilities/opportunities composed this novel; his first novel. Ellison believed that a wise and opportune person can turn a pile of rocks into a bag of rocks; basically saying that one may take what they have available unto them, and create better opportunities, for themselves and other generations to come. Invisible Man is about finding oneself and in that nature of discovery, running with one’s destiny, and making any possibility into infinite possibilities, turning the smallest of opportunities into the biggest of opportunities. Invisible Man is about finding possibilities where possibilities seem impossible. Ralph Waldo Ellison was born on March 1st in 1914 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison gained international fame from his first novel Invisible Man, which was inspired from his belief in the myth of the frontier, where he viewed the United States as the land of infinite possibilities and opportunities. The close-knit black community in which Ellison grew up in supplied him with images of courage and endurance. While growing up many of times one may find themselves searching for their purpose in life through the different activities that one may join and often times quit in search of something of better interest, something that he/she may feel fits their personality/character in a better manner. Darnell Tingle once said, â€Å"Character is what you know you are, not what others think you have†. While Ellison was surrounded by the faces of unfamiliarity he also felt lost, however invisible at the same time, wondering ‘What am I doing here†¦ is this place really for me†¦ do I want this?’ Ellison tried to find himself while asking others around him questions only he could answer.