He stood for much more than himself in embracing the ideas of individualism. Through the narrator's actions, Ellison is likely able to explain the incompetence of societies in accepting change or difference. He did not want to distinguish himself by the color of his skin and despised those who tried to do so. He attributes racial tensions in societies to this idea that people constantly neglect the singular and default to the multiple. In Ellison's eyes, everyone is America and no one should be treated differently, regardless of their differences. Each person has their own qualities that set them apart from others. When people stop dividing themselves based on generalizations, society will unite to