Entropic World View of Ralph Ellson's Invisible Man

Abstract

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man has intrigued me for a number of years. Because of my inability to pinpoint exactly why, I was driven to explore Ellison's non-prose fiction and criticism of his novel to see what was operating within the novel's structure which would explain why his only novel continues to be a source of much critical attention. Havins waded throush criticism ranging from arguments "based" on Ellison's racial background to studies of Ellison's use of myth and folklore, I was still left unsure until I discovered Jeremy Rifkin's Entropy: A New World View. After reading this book, in which Rifkin analyzes the:� need for modern states to be aware of the er,tropic effects of their present world views, I bec;an to reali2:e that Ellison was dealing with a sirr.ilar theme, but on a more personal basis, Thus, this thf!Sis explores Ellison's ese of entropic imagery in t f~rrns of invisible man's development of a new world view.