Dissection of the Prologue in Invisible Man

Currently, I am reading a novel called Invisible Man which is written by Ralph Ellison. As I read the prologue of the novel, I came to an understanding of the whole book. I believe the prologue was incorporated in order to depict and firmly state the narrator’s state of mind.  In the beginning of the prologue, the narrator quotes “I am an invisible man.” (3). When I think of the word “invisible”, I first come up with the meaning of not being seen. Therefore, it seems likely to me that the narrator is metaphorically referring himself as “invisible” in order to convey his thought that no one really SEES him. However, I know that the word “invisible” can mean other things as well. Hence, I searched the word “invisible” with the Merriam Webster Dictionary. I found that the word “invisible” can mean incapable by nature of being seen, hidden, imperceptible, and not being reflected in statistics. Surprisingly, all these definitions of this particular word all fit within the prologue. For instance, the meaning of incapable of being seen can be applied with what the narrator says in the beginning of the prologue. He states that when people approach him “they see only my surrounding, themselves, or figments of their imagination-indeed, everything and anything except me” (3). In other words, the narrator is stating that it is inherent for people to be unable to really look and see others. People are so caught up with their own lives and thoughts that it is impossible for them to really look into a person’s true self. Secondly, the definition of hidden and imperceptible can also be found in the prologue. For example, the narrator mentions how he has “been carrying a fight with Monopolated Light & Power” (5). This particular fight is discovered to be an imperceptible and hidden one because the company fails to notice its enemy, the narrator. The narrator has been secretly draining the company’s power with his “1,369 lights” which correlates with the definition of “invisible” (7). The narrator is hidden and imperceptible to the eyes of the Light & Power Company. Lastly, the definition of not being reflected in statistics appears when the narrator recounts the event when he beat up a white man. His beating of the man was featured in the Daily News which the narrator scoffs at by exclaiming “poor fool, poor blind fool, I thought with sincere compassion, mugged by an invisible man!” (5). In this context, the word “invisible” means  not being reflected in statistics since the news story only covered the victim’s picture and description and not the actual mugger. Essentially, the narrator hopes to convey his real identity, invisibility. The narrator is rather proud that he is invisible because he doesn’t need to care about his appearance or his surroundings. He values truth which is why he possesses “1,369 lights” in his home. He even states that “The truth is light and light is the truth.” which emphasizes his appreciation for truth (7). I believe that this novel is going to be about the importance of truth and reality.