1809-1865 1863-1877 1865-1877) 18thcentury 19thcentury 19thcenturyamericanhistory 20thcentury abolition abolitionism abolitionists abraham africa african-american african-american-culture african-american-experience african-american-identity african-american-literature african-american-protagonist africanamerican africanamericancivilwarparticipation africanamericanfamilies africanamericanhistory africanamericans africanamericanstudies alienation ambiguity ambition america american-dream american-history american-identity american-literature american-society americancolonizationsociety anniversaries antisemitism antislaverymovements approximately1809- art assimilation autobiographical betrayal bildungsroman biography black-culture black-experience black-identity black-literature blacks blindness blues brazil brotherhood civil-rights civil-rights-movement civilrights civilwarandreconstruction class-struggle coming-of-age complexity conformity cultural-alienation cultural-assimilation cultural-criticism cultural-heritage cultural-identity deception dehumanization discrimination disillusionment double-consciousness dreams dystopia economicconditions ellison empowerment enslavedpersons equality etc etcmüller ethnicrelations ethnicstudies exile existentialism freeafricanamericans freedmen freedom general germany government greatbritain harlem harlem-renaissance history identity identity-crisis individualism individuality inequality injustice invisibility invisibility-metaphor invisible invisible-identity invisible-man isolation jazz jazz-music jews juneteenth juvenileliterature laws legalstatus literary-fiction literature litigation loss loss-of-identity marginalization militaryhistory modernism müller narrator neworleans novel oppression personal-freedom personal-narrative philosophy political politicalaspects politics politicsandgovernment postmodernism power power-dynamics power-struggle prejudice presidentsoftheunitedstates protagonist protest quest race race-relations racerelations racial-discrimination racial-identity racial-inequality racial-oppression racial-prejudice racial-stereotypes racism ralph-ellison resistance salomé search-for-meaning segregation self-discovery self-empowerment slaveinsurrections slavery slaves slavetrade social-class social-commentary social-conformity social-criticism social-equality social-hierarchy social-inequality social-injustice social-invisibility social-isolation social-justice socialaspects socialconditions sociallifeandcustoms socialsciences societal-expectations society sources southern-gothic southern-united-states southernstates state stereotype stereotypes subversion surrealism survival symbolism texas the-american-dream trials underground unitedstates urban-life white white-supremacy women