In 1952, Ralph Ellison published the only novel of his career: Invisible Man; tell the story of an anonymous “invisible” narrator. From the beginning, the narrator describes his invisibility to “people who refuse to see [him]”; society neglects to consider him because of his black lineage (Ellison 3). Ellison incorporates several objects, appearing and reappearing frequently throughout the novel, to expose the social and intellectual problems imposed on the black community. In the middle of the "procession of tangible and material objects" moving "in and out of the text" is the dancing doll Sambo whose purpose is to symbolically represent the cruel stereotypes and destructive power of injustice that black people experience. victims (Lucas 172). Ellison's rendering of the little paper dolls, representing obedient black slaves, "unveils an astonishing correspondence between the past and the present" and functions as a force for the narrator's most essential awareness of his surroundings and his identity ( Luke 173). Sambo, whose sole purpose was to entertain the white community, also has the function of symbolizing, through its stereotype, the power that whites possess to control the movements of African-Americans. Ellison immediately introduces readers to the Sambo stereotype at the beginning of the novel when the Invisible Man becomes the white man's source of entertainment during the battle royal, engaging in combat with other black men. Out of sheer desperation to be accepted by these men, the narrator; like the obedient Sambo, moves in accordance with what he hears the crowd ask him to do because "only these men [can] judge [his] ability" (Ellison 22). To further validate the narrator's Sambo-like behavior, after the match, a blond man winks at the narrator...... middle of paper...... pulls his strings. For the narrator and the black community, the Sambo dolls are a constant reminder that they can neither form their own identity nor control their movements. Ellison's incorporation of the Sambo dolls teaches us an important life lesson, that it is important to be ourselves and choreograph our own choices and movements in life. We must not allow others to control our strings and steer us in the direction they believe is right. “Life is to be lived, not controlled; » Our full potential in life lies in our ability to control our movements and decisions in life (Ellison 577). Works Cited Ellison, Ralph. The invisible man. New York: Vintage International, 1995. Ebook Reader. Morel, Lucas E. Ralph Ellison and the Raft of Hope: A Political Companion to the Invisible Man. Lexington: University of Kentucky, 2004. Print.