To what extent was Ralph Ellison’s absurd characterization of the

unnamed narrator in the novel Invisible Man influenced by the

character of Meursault in Albert Camus’ novel The Stranger?
Isabella Ocava, Wooster High School

Knowledge and Understanding:

● Albert Camus is an author and philosopher who came up with the concept of absurdity and
the absurd man, which he detailed in his essay “The Myth of Sisyphus.”
● In a later work, The Stranger, Camus depicted the character of Meursault as an absurd man.
● Ellison’s Invisible Man contains a narrator who can also be categorized as an absurd man.

Research and Analysis

● The narrator in Invisible Man and Meursault are characters who follow the idea of
self-creation.
● Although they differ in their developments and how they are exposed to the concept of the
absurd, they are both absurd heroes.
● Ellison’s work, written 10 years after Camus’ can be considered an expansion and critique of
absurdism, just as Camus’ absurdism was an expansion and critique of traditional
existentialism.
Reflection: My initial intentions for the project were successful. Limited source materials meant
that I had to rely more on my ability to make connections between texts. This research experience
has shown me that inferences are a valuable and valid way to gain and connect knowledge. In order
to be knowledgeable, you do not have to come up with definite, concrete answers- understanding is
just as valuable.