Violence that exists for the sole purpose of violence is simply wasteful. Violence is used as an attempt to gain worldly power, material objects, or desired relationships. In literature, violence is often used in the same way, but more often than not, violence in literature is present to serve as a symbol for something larger and deeper in the writing. For example, in Invisible Man by Ralph Ellisons, violence is a predominant aspect of the play, and the violence present is meant to represent negative African American stereotypes that white people apply to black people. Ellison's novel immerses readers in a world that encompasses senseless violence from the start, but when one takes a second look, it is clear that the violence is not, in fact, senseless, but that it contributes to the theme of identity and liberation. societal identities given to individuals. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In Invisible Man, Ellison talks about Battle Royale, a scene in which a large group of white men essentially torture a group of black men for entertainment, a scene of seemingly senseless violence. Although this event would truly be an inhumane and senselessly violent event if it were to occur in reality, in the novel it serves not only as foreshadowing, but also as a catalyst for all events to follow. While many African American boys are forced to enter a boxing ring blindfolded, the narrator relates that "as we were trying to leave, we were stopped and ordered into the ring. There was nothing to do but what we were told" and this quote perfectly reveals that these boys, lost and blind, both metaphorically and literally, cannot do or be what they desire themselves, but are obliged to follow the instructions of the white men around. them (Ellison, 21 years old). This foreshadows the rest of the novel, which is the story of the narrator progressing through life, while trying to adapt to his surroundings and assume the identity that the people around him establish for him. We see this happening through the narrator's reactions to the interaction between Jim Trueblood and Mr. Norton. As Trueblood tells Mr. Norton, a wealthy white founder of the college, the story of his incestuous acts and misdeeds, the narrator becomes very embarrassed and worries about the black man's reputation as a whole. We see it through his thoughts: “How can he say that to white men, I thought, when he knows they will say that all black people do such things? I looked at the ground, a red haze of anguish before my eyes” (Ellison, 58). This reaction reveals that the invisible man is worried about the reputation of black men; he is aware of the fact that, despite how some individuals act, a white society will generalize African Americans and apply stereotypes and characteristics, good and bad, not to individuals, but to all men of the same color, despite the fact that only a few men actually turn out to be senselessly violent. At this point in the novel, it is obvious that the narrator is stuck in a rut of allowing the people around him to give him an identity. This becomes especially prevalent when the Invisible Man moves to Harlem and is told, "Man, this Harlem is nothing but a bear's den." But I tell you one thing...this is the best place in the world for you and me, and if times don't get better soon, I'm going to catch that bearand release it in all directions” (Ellison, 174). Naturally, the first event that the Invisible Man witnesses in Harlem is a large riot of black men led by Ras the Exhorter behaving violently and shouting at the police - this is the stereotype of the African-American man that the narrator must overcome by entering the bear. den itself. The violence that exists in Harlem, while similar to reality, exists in the novel to provide an example of the types of reputations that the Invisible Man must overcome. When the first thing he witnesses in Harlem is violence exhibited by other black men, it is clear that breaking the constricting African-American stereotypes is going to be a challenge, a risky and difficult task, akin to fighting a bear, for the narrator. The violence present in Invisible Man can also be seen as the destruction of community among African Americans and can be used to illustrate the differences between people despite being the same race. For example, when the narrator gets his first job at Liberty Paints, and he aims to "keep America pure" with their whitest white paints. While it is literally a company that makes white paint, it also symbolically serves as an attempt to clean up America by getting rid of negative black characteristics. As the narrator and Brockway, two black men, work together in the service of primarily white people, we can see the impacts of the constant application of negative stereotypes leading to their actual materialization. When Lucius Brockway becomes so angry with the narrator that he begins to lash out violently, simply because he suspects the narrator was part of a union, it is clear that there is something more deep that pushes Brockway to behave in this way. As he says: “I knew you were one of that bunch of trouble-making foreigners!” I knew it! Get out! ", this reaction and the violence that followed illustrate the insecurity of African-American men of the time; they lived in constant fear of being controlled by unions, by groups of white men, by the stereotypes that society imposed on them (Ellison, 124). Similarly, the narrator struggles with his insecurities and the pressure to succumb to the identity imposed on him; and although he fails for most of the novel, the Invisible Man eventually realizes that invisibility is his identity not because people made him that way, but because he possesses it. The violence present in Invisible Man can also be seen as the result of a reaction. to oppression; “violence can be a way to gain a sense of dignity and power in the face of centuries of humiliating oppression” (Bryant, 224). Stephen B. Bennett and William W. Nichols give this behavior a name called "creative violence," and its presence in this novel adds to the meaning of the work by highlighting a negative consequence of racism, oppression, and control of African Americans. by white people. This type of violence is literally introduced in the first pages of the novel where the narrator beats a man to death because of an insulting name. It can be assumed that this violent reaction was not simply the result of an incident of insult, but rather an explosion of violent reaction that had developed after years of oppression. Another example of creative violence can be seen through the character of Tod Clifton. Clifton is a character meant to embody good characteristics; he's a charismatic leader within the Brotherhood and an active member of the political world - he seems to have it all. However, when he later started selling dolls..