Exploring The Role Of Clothing In Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
483 Words2 Pages
Invisible Man Essay. The show is just two weeks away, the stage is ready, the lights and sound seem to be prepared for the weekend´s performance. Primarily, the actors skills are above and beyond the expectations for the show, and the props only add more character to the actor´s roles. The costumes seemed to meet everyone's expectations but mine. Being on stage throughout the rehearsals I knew my character needed something more than just a robe and a blindfold accompanied with angel wings. I knew that my role of Eros ( the Greek god of love) needed to portray sorrow and vulnerability. After a discussion with the director, my costume was changed to a nude bodysuit. This change surprised everyone in the cast, for they were worried people would judge the costume and focus more in what I was wearing instead of my performance overall. I…show more content… Early in the novel vulnerability is exposed through the lack of clothing when the narrator is stripped to fighting togs at the battle royale where he gave his valedictorian speech. The narrator described “bare upper bodies touching and shining with anticipatory sweat” (Ellison, 18), portraying an image of how vulnerable and weak the lack of clothing made him. This was an introduction for the narrator to the world that is ahead of him and welcoming him to the idea that his identity is determined through the way he looks. In the same way, later in the book, the narrator is once again stripped off his clothes and tortured with electrical shocks. Throughout the novel he becomes lost and forgets about the world full of judgement. Him being shocked and tortured was a reminder that no matter who he becomes, his identity will never change no matter how much his clothes do.