Comparing Invisible Man and Brave New World Essay

Comparing Invisible Man and Brave New World Both Ellison’s The Invisible Man and Aldous Huxleys Brave New World are political in nature, and at this level, seem completely dissimilar. The Invisible Man attempts to illuminate the social entrapment of Black Americans, while Brave New World cautions against an over-reliance on technology and the amorality it can potentially inspire. At a deeper level, however, both books are also about the status of the individual in society, and it is here that there is a remarkable similarity between the two novels. In both The Invisible Man and Brave New World, we see men fighting against societies that devalue their individuality and thereby lessen their sense of identity and self†¦show more content†¦All novels are about certain minorities, says Ellison the individual is a minority. The universal in the novel - and isnt that what were all clamoring for these days? - is reached only through the description of the specific man in a specific circumstance (Graham and Singh, 9). Huxley says something along the same lines in the forward to the anniversary issue of Brave New World when he says the theme of Brave New World is not the advancement of science as such; it is the advancement of science as it affects human individuals (Huxley, 16). Both statements suggest that Ellison and Huxley are more concerned about the state of the individual than the state of society, and this is an important distinction for one of the more subtle points of both novels is that the health of society is determ ined by the health of the individuals of which it is composed. The sickness inherent in both societies becomes apparent early on. In Invisible Man, Ellison erects a classed society in which a select group of people use the narrator for their own selfish purposes, refusing to see the inherent individual worth beyond the color of his skin. One of our first examples of this is when Mr. Norton, the wealthy supporter of the Institute the narrator attends, describes how the students there are all building blocks in his destiny. I mean that upon you depends the outcome of the years I have spent in helping your school, says Mr.Show MoreRelated Myth of Courage Exposed in The Things They Carried Essay2662 Words   |  11 PagesAh for a young man all looks fine and noble if he goes down in war, hacked to pieces under a slashing bronze blade he lies there dead. . .but whatever death lays bare all wounds are marks of glory. (Homer 22.83-87)  Ã‚   As students we are brainwashed by ancient myths such as The Iliad, where war is extolled and the valorous warrior praised. 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