accountability adversity african-american african-american-experience african-american-literature alienation altruism american-dream american-history american-identity american-literature assimilation authenticity betrayal bildungsroman bioethics black-culture black-experience black-identity blindness brotherhood character character-building character-development christianity civil-rights civil-rights-movement coming-of-age commitment compassion conformity conscience courage cultural-criticism cultural-critique cultural-heritage david-brooks dedication determination development discipline discrimination disillusionment double-consciousness emotional-intelligence empathy equality ethical-behavior ethical-choices ethical-dilemmas ethical-values ethics existentialism faith freedom grit growth growth-mindset guidance harlem harlem-renaissance honesty human-nature humanity humanrights humility identity identity-crisis individualism individuality inequality injustice inner-development inner-journey inner-strength inner-transformation inspiration inspirational integrity introspection introspective introspective-journey invisibility invisible invisible-man isolation jazz journey kindness leadership learning life-choices life-journey life-lessons life-purpose literature maturity meaning meaning-of-life meaningful-life mindfulness mindset modernism moral moral-character moral-compass moral-courage moral-development moral-dilemma moral-dilemmas moral-education moral-integrity moral-philosophy moral-psychology moral-values moral-virtues morality morals motivation nobility non-fiction nonfiction oppression overcoming-adversity patience perseverance personal-development personal-freedom personal-growth personal-transformation personal-values philosophical philosophy politics power power-dynamics prejudice principles protagonist protest psychology purpose purposeful-living race race-relations racial-discrimination racial-identity racial-stereotypes racism ralph-ellison redemption reflection relationships religiousaspects resilience respectforpersons role-models sacrifice segregation self-awareness self-discipline self-discovery self-examination self-help self-improvement self-reflection selflessness social-commentary social-conscience social-inequality social-injustice social-justice social-psychology societal-norms societal-values society soul-searching southern-united-states spiritual-development spiritual-growth spiritual-journey spirituality stereotypes storytelling strength success surrealism symbolism the-road-to-character transformation transformative underground values values-based-living virtue virtue-ethics virtues vulnerability wisdom