Invisible Man: Brief Plot/Character Analysis/ThemesInvisible Man, written in 1952 by Ralph Ellison, documents a young black man's struggle to find the identity in an unfair and manipulative society. In the course of this struggle, through his experiences, he learns many valuable lessons, both about society and about himself. The story begins with the narrator recounting his memories of his grandfather. The most notable, and ultimately most disturbing, of these is his memory of his grandfather's last words in which he claims to have been a traitor to his own people and urges his son to "overcome them with yeses, weaken them with smiles." . , accept them until death and destruction, let them devour you until they vomit or gape." These words remain imprinted in the narrator's mind throughout the book, even if he never fully understands their meaning. His grandfather's words to end serve as a catalyst for his subsequent disillusionments, the first of which occurs soon after his high school graduation, the narrator is invited to give a speech to a gathering of the town's leading white citizens hold expresses the idea that humility is the essence of progress. Subconsciously, his grandfather's words prevent him from truly believing the thesis of his own speech, but he gives it to him anyway , is humiliated by being forced to fight blindfolded against other young black men, and then being shocked by an electrified carpet. He pretends not to be angry about these events, but his true feelings escape him for a moment when, while reading his speech. , accidentally says “Social Equality” instead of “Social Responsibility.” After finishing his speech, he is given a new briefcase. Inside the briefcase is a scholarship to the state Negro College. That night he has a dream in which his grandfather tells him to open the briefcase and read what's in the envelope. He discovers that it says "To whom it may concern, let this nigger boy run." Unfortunately, he is still too disillusioned to grasp the meaning of his grandfather's warnings. During his senior year in college, the narrator drives for Mr. Norton, one of the college's founders who is visiting the campus. During the journey, Mr. Norton tells the narrator that he is his destiny.