On The Protagonist’s Imposed Identity as a Modern Running Slave in Invisible Man.docx

On The Protagonist’s Imposed Identity as a Modern Running Slave in Invisible Man.docx

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OnTheProtagonist’sImposedIdentityasaModernRunningSlaveinInvisibleMan

Abstract：

InvisibleMancreatedbyRalphEllisonmainlydiscussestheprotagonist’sidentityissueandthispaperfocusesononeofhisimposedidentityasamodernrunningslavetodisclosetheoppressionsufferedbymodernblackpeopleandtheprogresstheymakeinself-identityquest.

Keywords：

imopsedidentity；mosernrunningslave；InvisibleManIdentityisacomplextermforitsrichconnotations.Itcanbesimplyviewed

as“knowingwhooneis”（Weeks,27）.Itcanbefurtherexplainedtobe“ourunderstandingofwhoweareandwhootherpeopleare”（Weeks,35）.Asforasingleperson,identitycoversbothbornfeaturesandtheinfluencescausedbythecircumstances.Itisacontinuousprocessofformingandreformingratherthanafixedstateorresult.Duringthisprocess,peoplewillhaveaseriesofidentities.Someof

themcanbecountedaspeople’sself-identitieswhichworkasmajorbenchmarksforthemtounderstandanddefinethemselves.However,theothersofthemareimposedonpeople.Theseimposedidentitiesareunabletoembodypeople’sactiveunderstandingofthemselves.InInvisibleMan,theprotagonistalsohasimposedidentities,suchasa“modernrunningslave”.

Theimageof“runningslave”originatesfromanAfricanAmericanfolkloricmotif“KeeptheNigger-BoyRunning”.Itmirrorstheoppressiveandunsettledaspectofblackslave’slifebecause“running”worksasapunwhichhastwolayersofmeanings:

“escaping”and“unsettled”.InInvisibleMan,theprotagonistalsolivesasa

runningslavewhenheisexpelledfromthecollegetryingtofindajobwithDr.Bledsoe’srecommendationletters.

However,therecommendationletterturnsouttobeafalseonewhichonlybearswords“keepthisnigger-boyrunning”.Becausethepresidentaskshimnottoreadtheseletters,theprotagonistpresentsthemtowhitecelebritiesonebyoneinthenortherncity.Asaresult,heisrefusedtogetanyjobsbuthecontinuessendingtherestlettersoutwithhope.Inthisway,theprotagonistfallsintoanegativecircleofrunningfromawhitemantoanother.Finally,becausehecannothaveanyjob,theprotagonistfacesmaterialcrisis.Thus,heisunabletosettlehislifeinthestrangecityandbecomesamodernrunningslave.

Fortunately,ThetricksplayedbyDr.Bledsoetomaketheprotagonistasa“runningslave”isexposedbyMr.Emerson’sson.Mr.EmersonisoneofthewhitecelebritiestowhomDr.Bledsoewritesrecommendationletter.AstheprotagonistgoestoMr.Emerson’sofficesendinghisrecommendationletter,Mr.Emerson’ssongetsthisletterandshowsthecontentsofittotheprotagonist.Atthattime,the

protagoniststillholdsanillusionandwantsto“returnandhelp”（Ellison,192）.Later,afolksongwhistledbyablackmaninfrontofhimonabusbreakshisillusionofthecollegeauthorityandleadshimtorealizehisidentityasarunningslave.Thisfolksonggoeslikethis: