The Role of "Crazy Men" in "Invisible Man".

In Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" there are numerous characters who are totally disillusioned for the entirety of the plot. The main character and the people that he takes advice from, have narrow and troubling views of the world and this leads to many difficult situations. Ironically the characters who have the most clear views of the world around them are those who are looked down upon by society. The vet, the blueprint man, and Trueblood illustrate the point that the price one pays for knowing and telling the truth at this time is removal from society.

In chapter three, we see Mr. Norton and the Invisible Man arrive at the Golden Day bar to get a drink. The events inside are too much for Norton and he passes out and is taken upstairs. In a wild setting as this, the last thing the reader is expecting is for someone to step out of the crowd and help this affluent white man.

Norton Commando

[Portrait of Abe Most, Pete Ponti, Sid Jacobs, and...

Nortons kataloger nu i digital form

Ellison shows us the crowd through the eyes of Norton and this clearly is going to negative. He is in a seemingly all-black bar in the south, with all these "crazy" people who do not know anything about the world around them. The irony here is that Norton is the only person in the building who doesn't see the reality and thus he cannot endure the situation for any longer. After being taken upstairs, a man referred to as "the vet" emerges and controls the situation. A startled Norton is revived by the vet and immediately seems shocked by this make-shift doctor, "'Your diagnosis is exactly that of my specialist,' Mr. Norton said, 'and I went to several... How did you know?'" (90) Norton is shocked as the vet goes on to explain his low position...