Postcolonialism is the term used to describe the effects and aftermath of colonialism. Colonialism means that everything is altered by colonizers. This includes their culture, values and system. The colonizers believed that they were a civilizing mission and had a superior system and way of living. This is what led to this change. The colonizers saw the natives as “savages” or “niggers” who considered their way of life and system to be inferior.
They used the power to oppress the natives and use force to enforce their ideas. Invisible Man is a symbol of racism and colonial oppression. “All my adult life I searched for something. And everywhere I went, someone tried to give me the answer (258). Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man tells the story of the narrator. He speaks out about the problems associated with post-colonial identity. This includes the relationship between cultural and personal identity. The story’s narrator is struggling to define his identity. He finds it difficult because he is black and lives in a racist American society. It is clear that the postcolonial lens shows that a character is unable to see himself as a person and is therefore viewed as alien or strange by dominant cultures. Ellison’s depiction of the narrator shows a character struggling to accept his subservient role in dominant society. The narrator has a feeling of invisibility. This is because he feels that everyone around him can see what he really is. The grandfather’s confession that he was a traitor throughout his life, and a spy for the enemy’s government, is a haunting statement. (258). He is unable to express his feelings when he achieves anything within the white man’s world. It is obvious that Ellison does not feel like he belongs in his African American community. Ellison’s story of displacement shows how many African Americans felt during their time. The narrator feels lost and accepts his place in the dominant culture as it is the best option. The story’s narrator represents a person who is subjected to racial prejudice and discrimination. The story begins with the narrator stating that his grandfather told him that he looked like him. This similarity is what allows him to face racism, exploitation, abuse and to be himself. This is another example of the dominant group calling him “other” or a stranger when he gets a scholarship for black colleges. It basically says that even though he should attend college, he isn’t qualified enough to go to a college that accepts white students. Ironically, the scholarship is what opened the eyes of the narrator to the racial injustices they had to endure. The scholarship helped him understand that his grandfather told him that if he was submissive, he would get doors that would allow him to help defeat the racism and discrimination that he faced. He refuses to accept the broken image society forced on him.
