Sight & Blindness in the Invisible Man

... Sight & Blindness in the Invisible Man Throughout the novel, Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison works with many different images of blindness and impaired vision and how it relates to sight. These images prove to be fascinating pieces of symbolism that enhance the themes of perception and vision within the novel. From the beginning of the novel where the Invisible Man is blindfolded to the end where he is walking down the streets of Harlem in dark glasses, images of sight and blindness add to the meaning of many scenes and characters. In many of these situations the characters inability to see outwardly parallels their inability to understand inwardly what is going on in the world around them. Characters like Homer A. Barbee and Brother Jack believe they are all knowing but prove to be blind when it comes to the world they are in. By looking at the characters with impaired

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