The main theme of Invisible Man is obviously invisibility. The very first line itself is the simple statement: I am an invisible man. As we continually discussed this over the course of the book, we realized that everyone has their own interpretations of what it means to be invisible. Here's mine.
In order for us to get a solid grasp on what the narrator means, we need a lot more information. To provide sufficient context, he retells his entire life story through a typewriter. Through his perspective (the only one I might add) we're able to see just how each event pushes him, in varying extents, toward the full acceptance of invisibility. For the first half of the book, nothing really seems to change his mindset no matter how bizarre or evocative an event may be. Such occurrences that come to mind right away would be the battle royal and the Golden Day incident. In the case of former, he's preoccupied with appeasing the white elitist crowd rather than being angry (like a normal person) at the injustice he's subjected to.
It's only when he's "treated" following the explosion by the Liberty Paints doctors that he becomes a different man. Evolving only when something drastic like this happens speaks volumes about his character. Nevertheless, we finally get to see the narrator think more carefully and profoundly which reminds us of the man from the prologue. He gives in to his desires and roots (yam scene) and even speaks his mind (eviction speech). Things are definitely looking up for him but then the Brotherhood crosses his path. While they initially seem like a good vehicle for him to continue in the right direction, the complete opposite happens. Even with his new found sense of wariness and questioning, the narrator fails to realize how he is not in control of his actions but rather the Brotherhood is steering him. When he finally uncovers the truth, he is able to take himself out of society completely. Took him long enough, am I right?
His ultimate revelation is that in order to avoid the lose-lose situation of what actions to take, he must fully succumb to his invisibility. He found himself in unfortunate circumstances regardless of whether he acted for others or on his own so he took the only way out. With the arc finished, I can properly analyze the opening statement. His "invisibility" does not have the connotation of complete imperceptibility but rather the inability of being viewed as an individual. The same invisibility that Bigger faces in Native Son as well as countless other African-Americans during this time period. The same invisibility that we all experience from time to time.
I agree with your interpretation of what it means to be invisible and I also thought that your sentence, "Evolving only when something drastic like this happens speaks volumes about his character," was very interesting. It made me think about his treatment at the paint factory hospital and how the doctors were saying that the treatment would make him a new man. And right after that point is when the narrator starts having more "independent" thoughts but maybe the treatment made him think this way and just shows another way in which the narrator feels control when really he's been manipulated by someone else.
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