He's Not Your Pinocchio Anymore: A Brief Look at the Narrator's Self-RealizationIn the novel The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison uses the motif of paper to demonstrate the journey that the narrator goes through to realize his true identity. Using this motif, the narrator's identity is revealed at various stages throughout the novel. At the beginning of the novel, the paper seems similar to a beacon of hope; shedding light on all the wonderful opportunities the world has to offer the narrator. He feels the paper will help pave the way for his future. For example, after the battle royal takes place, the superintendent gives the narrator a briefcase "full of important documents that [would later] help shape the destiny of [his] people" (Ellison 32). The narrator is surprised to find “a scholarship to the state college for Negroes” among the numerous envelopes and documents (Ellison 32). This document shows the narrator that he has the potential to create something more than himself. Furthermore, the card represents a key that helps open all doors to the narrator's future. One of those doors seems to be going to college and getting an education. This opportunity is closely tied to the narrator's identity: a knowledgeable, educated African American who wants to change society. He then decides to attend university, but runs into some problems that cause him to be expelled. Even though he was fired, Dr. Bledsoe wants to help the narrator get back on his feet. Therefore, he promises to "give [the narrator] some letters addressed to several school friends" in New York, and Bledsoe states that "[o]ne of them will do something for" the hopeful narrator (Ellison 149). This useful document… half of the card… Invisible Man, Ellison uses the motif of the card to reveal the journey through which the narrator must go to realize his true identity. Ellison does this in a series of stages, which are associated with different emotions towards the document. Works Cited Barón-Fritts, Amanda. “Alter (Eng) Identity: Becoming the Other.” The Black Scholar 34.1 (2004): 34-39. Sociological collection. Network. May 8, 2014.Drake, Rachel. “Blackness, Autonomy, and Power in Selected Works by Walter Mosley and Ralph Ellison.” The Researcher: An Interdisciplinary Journal 25.2 (2012): 1-8. Academic research completed. Network. May 7, 2014. Ellison, Ralph. The invisible man. New York: Vintage International, 1995. Print. Neighbors, Jim. “Immersing (Out) in History: Naming and Self-Control in “Invisible Man..” African American Review 36.2 (2002): 227. Advanced Placement Source. Web. May 8 2014.