20th-century abundance african-american 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 autobiographical-elements betrayal bildungsroman black-culture black-experience black-identity black-literature black-lives-matter black-power blindness blues brotherhood civil-rights civil-rights-movement class-struggle climate-change coming-of-age coming-of-age. complexity conformity consciousness corruption cultural-alienation cultural-assimilation cultural-criticism cultural-heritage cultural-identity culture deception decisionmaking dehumanization development discrimination disillusionment double-consciousness dreams dystopia economics ellison empowerment enlightenment equality exile existentialism exploitation ezra-klein freedom future global-challenges harlem harlem-renaissance historical identity identity-crisis individual-vs-society individualism individuality inequality injustice innovation intellectualism invisibility invisibility-metaphor invisible invisible-identity invisible-man invisible-man-(novel) invisible-protagonist isolation jazz jazz-age jazz-music leadership literary-fiction literature loss loss-of-identity marginalization marginalized marxism modern-classic modernism motivation(psychology) multiculturalism narration narrator national-book-award novel oppression perception personal-freedom personal-identity personal-narrative philosophy political political-commentary political-satire politics postmodernism poverty power power-dynamics power-struggle prejudice progress protagonist protest protest-literature psychological-journey psychologicalaspects quest race race-relations racial-discrimination racial-identity racial-inequality racial-injustice racial-oppression racial-prejudice racial-segregation racial-stereotypes racism ralph-ellison rebellion resistance resource-allocation scientific-progress search-for-meaning searching-for-identity segregation self-discovery self-empowerment social-activism social-alienation social-change social-class social-commentary social-conformity social-criticism social-equality social-hierarchy social-inequality social-injustice social-invisibility social-isolation social-justice social-mobility social-norms socialaspects socialsciences societal-expectations societal-norms society sociopolitical southern-gothic southern-literature southern-united-states stereotype stereotypes struggle subjugation subversion success surreal surrealism survival sustainability symbolism technology the-american-dream the-black-experience the-harlem-renaissance underground unseen urban-life w.e.b.-du-bois wealth white-supremacy