In The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the narrator goes through many hardships that make him who he is. He experiences discouragement and misfortune at many different moments throughout the novel. However, there are three main moments where the narrator goes through these difficulties. He is mistreated for his race, especially at the beginning of the novel. He is discouraged by his college president when he is expelled. He is also defeated when he discovers that the Brotherhood is not who he thought it was. In Ellison's Invisible Man, the narrator is degraded and humiliated three major times over the course of the novel. At the beginning of the novel, we know that the narrator is a black boy living in the South. He is discriminated against by everyone around him. It is seen as nothing. The narrator is chosen to take part in the Battle Royale, which is a fight between ten black boys used to entertain the white men of the town. The narrator describes this experience by saying: “But now I felt a sudden fit of blind terror. I wasn't used to the darkness. It was as if I suddenly found myself in a dark room full of poisonous cottonmouths. I could hear the confused voices insistently shouting for the actual battle to begin” (21). This quote explains that the narrator is being put in a position he doesn't want to be in. He is treated as if he were inferior to all the men gathered to watch the fight. Once the fight began, the narrator also explains: “Blindfolded, I could no longer control my movements. I had no dignity. I stumbled like a child or a drunk” (22). This quote states that the narrator feels humiliated. He's treated like he's worthless. The struggle is disheartening and humiliating for the narrator to have… middle of paper… it was all a lie. He was in the dark the whole time. This is the third major time the narrator feels discouraged and humiliated throughout the novel. In Invisible Man, the narrator goes through many difficult moments. Experience humiliation and embarrassment. He is initially demoted as inferior to others due to his race when he is forced to fight in the Battle Royale. He is later humiliated by Dr. Bledsoe by being expelled from college and receiving letters far from recommendations. Ultimately, the narrator is excluded from everything he worked for in the Brotherhood. It seems like everything he does comes back to haunt him. In Ellison's The Invisible Man, the narrator is degraded and humiliated three major times over the course of the novel. Works Cited Ellison, Ralph. The invisible man. New York: Vintage-Random House, 1995. Print.