Invisible Man

prologue in invisible man

how does light and darkness function symbolically in the prologue?

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And I love light. Perhaps you'll think it strange that an invisible man should need light, desire light, love light. But maybe it is exactly because I am invisible. Light confirms my reality, gives birth to my form. (Prologue.6)

In the light, the invisible man is able to see himself; he loves to be able to confirn even to himself that he really does exist. This quote in the introduction is the first of the light and dark imagery that the author uses. It can be found repeated throughout the text.

Source(s)

The Invisible Man

The narrator describes in the prologue how much he loves light; to line the floors, the walls, the ceiling, with thousand of light bulbs, illuminating the darkness around him. THe narrator is in a hole. A dark hole. Darkness can be referred to as feeling lost, sacred, and lonely. Perhaps this is the narrator's feeling at this point. So he feels he needs light, to illuminate himself, and the world around him. He needs light to see the way. He feels that the light reminds him of his existance in the world, that he is not lost to total darkness.

Source(s)

Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison