Flannery O'Connor states, "[Distortion] is the only way to make people see." With this statement, O'Connor recognizes how creating illusions and omitting truths give people the desire to understand and believe in things that are not necessarily good. In "Invisible Man", by Ralph Ellison, the narrator has been taught to live through illusions his entire life: he accepts society's rules and submits to other's desires. It is not until the invisible man is able to clear his translucent view of the world that he loses his connections in the real world and discovers that he has been living an illusion; a lie.
             One of the greatest illusions that the novel offers is the idea of the institution the narrator attends. Though Tuskegee, a predominantly black university, is said to be building the African-American race, it hinders progress: It teaches submission and the ability to conform to the ideals of more powerful figures in society rather than teaching how to fight for what they believe is right and just. The statue of a kneeling slave being covered with a veil is a symbol of the distorted views of Tuskegee. It misleads the institution's "true intentions" and exemplifies the school's sly way if making its students feel important, while at the same time being insignificant. Also, the furnished buildings painted in white, and the "pure" atmosphere the institution conveys masks the world sitting just outside of its walls. Tuskegee hides the truth to please others, so as to prevent them from trying to make changes in the world.
             After being removed from the institute, the invisible man slowly begins to form his own opinions and ideas about the school, Bledsoe's wrong decisions and how he will work to become something in his world. As his talents of public speaking are revealed, he is offered a position in a brotherhood by a man referred to as Brother Jack. The Brotherhood is said to have ideals of equality and outlooks of friendship. Even ...