In the first section, the Invisible Man embarks on
not only a physical journey, but also a journey to find himself. The reader
begins to see his fate when the Invisible Man is describing the college. While
beautiful on the outside, he also describes it as "stagnant" and
"still" (35). He then states, "And I stand in the circle where
three roads converge near the statue..." (35-36). This statement brings
back the idea of "Keep This Nigger-Boy Running (33)" in the sense
that all African Americans in this time period are reaching for something they
will never achieve. Although the Invisible Man is attending the college, he stands
in front of three roads: one leading to the college, one to the insane asylum,
and the other to Goldenday. This is symbolic to the fact that his journey is a
never ending circle, in which his expectations could eventually drive him to
insanity. The quote opens the reader up to the beginning of the Invisible Man's
journey and how he must find himself in order to escape the never ending circle.
6. Good use of the three roads converging in relation to journey. Need to note that the journey if confined to this cycle and applied false expectations will eventually drive him insane. We do know from the prologue that he will follow his own path, which is one step in achieving his wisdom. Make sure to make the analysis directly link to the quote and overall purpose of novel.
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