20th-century activism african-american african-american-author african-american-culture african-american-experience african-american-history african-american-identity african-american-literature african-american-protagonist alienation ambiguity ambition america american-dream american-history american-identity american-literature american-society art assimilation authenticity autobiographical betrayal bigotry bildungsroman black-culture black-experience black-identity black-literature black-lives-matter black-power blinded-vision blindness blues brotherhood civil-rights class-struggle colorado-springs coming-of-age complexity conformity corruption cultural-alienation cultural-assimilation cultural-criticism cultural-critique cultural-heritage cultural-identity culture deception dehumanization discrimination disillusionment double-consciousness dreams dystopia ellison empowerment enlightenment equality exile existentialism experience exploitation freedom harlem harlem-renaissance hate-groups historical historical-fiction history identity identity-crisis individual-vs-society individualism individuality inequality infiltration injustice intellectualism invisibility invisibility-metaphor invisible invisible-identity invisible-man invisible-man-(novel) invisible-society isolation jazz jazz-age jazz-music journey ku-klux-klan law-enforcement leadership literary-fiction literature loss loss-of-identity marginalization marginalized marxism memoir modern-classic modernism multiculturalism narration narrator national-book-award novel opportunity oppression patriotism perception personal-freedom personal-identity personal-narrative philosophy police-department political political-satire politics postcolonialism postmodernism power power-dynamics power-struggle prejudice protagonist protest protest-literature psychological-journey pursuit-of-identity quest race race-relations racial-discrimination racial-identity racial-inequality racial-oppression racial-prejudice racial-segregation racial-stereotypes racial-stereotyping racism ralph-ellison rebellion resistance search-for-meaning searching-for-identity segregation self-discovery self-empowerment social-alienation social-class social-commentary social-conformity social-criticism social-critique social-equality social-hierarchy social-inequality social-injustice social-invisibility social-isolation social-justice social-mobility social-norms social-protest societal-expectations societal-norms society southern-gothic southern-literature southern-united-states stereotype stereotypes struggle subjugation subversion surreal surrealism surrealism. survival symbolism symbols the-american-dream the-black-experience the-harlem-renaissance true-story twentieth-century-literature undercover-agent undercover-investigation underground unseen urban-life w.e.b.-du-bois white-supremacy