However, he is perpetually haunted by the last words of his grandfather, and a feeling that he is merely conforming to a " whitewashed" stereotype of intelligent blacks. The tale begins at a southern college for Negroes, where the protagonist seems to be semi-content. The narrator is an intelligent, young, nameless African-American who seeks acceptance from all corners, but finds only manipulation. It's a haunting portrait of the invisible man inside all of us. The story is about invisibility, a term which can only be fully grasped by reading the book. Certainly Invisible Man is a landmark in black fiction, but the main thrust of the story is search for identity, not just for the black man, but for all humanity. Viewing this novel as simply a story about racism, as many unfortunately do (a result of having been forced to read it in school, perhaps), is far too limiting. Ralph Ellison's 1952 masterpiece is often lauded by critics as one of the greatest American novels of the twenthieth century. "Who knows but that, on the lower frequencies, I speak for you?" - Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
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