Style

Hmm, how to discuss style in Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison. I'm not real good at it, but I'll give it a shot.

I think that the writing style of Ralph Ellison is similar to that of J. D. Salinger. The author thinks and speaks through the narrator, which is helpful when developing a character, as you know what he is thinking. However, if the author/narrator goes on and on about a subject, I find that annoying (I'll stop on that note for now, and take it back up on the Response page). This was also Salinger's style, and I believe that Salinger took after Ellison in that respect. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Ellison was one of Salinger's literary influences.

The author is also very fond of taking time out of the plot to go into explicit details about everything. I mean everything. The narrator will stop the current movement in plot to expand upon the tiniest detail. Full paragraphs are filled by his contemplation of a leaf, or the actions of some faceless stranger. Again, this is a style that Salinger used in The Catcher in the Rye. I find it funny that both books are about guys that I'd really hate to know on a personal basis, as they both are kind of whiny about everything. The narrator in this book also seems to expect certain responses from people, namely hatred from whites in the North, as thats what he got in the South. He is also surprised by other blacks calling him 'brother', as thats something that never happened back home.