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The gaze actually indicates a hierarchical relationship between seeing and being seen (Chen, 2009), which means that the subject of gaze is more or less superior to the object of gaze. In Invisible Man, the dialectics of seeizng and being seen occurs mostly between the whites and the protagonist. And Foucault (2003) says, “the gaze that sees is a gaze that dominates.” (39) Hence, when the power gaze stares down or is fixed on the flesh body, to be seen means being dominated or subjected. This is when the black body is “stereotyped, criminalized, and rendered invisible by the white gaze” (Yancy, 2016: xxx), which manipulates the flesh of the protagonist to make him submissive and produce discipline, and triggers an identity crisis.

1.1.1 Dominated Boxer under White Gaze

In opening scene, the protagonist delivered a graduation speech about the secret of social progress being humility which is in strict line with his grandfather’s word of advice before passing away. Not surprisingly, the speech pleased the whites greatly, so the protagonist was invited to attend a private party held by local white big shots — including bankers, lawyers, doctors, teachers and even a clergyman — and give the oration again. Upon arrival, our protagonist was told that he would also fight a battle royal with his alumni, several black teenagers of his similar age, as a part of entertainment before the speech. He accepted the arrangement.

1.2 Exploited Social Identity

Under the power gaze, the protagonist must be visible, but he still becomes an invisible man, as the gaze is “not simply limited to the ocular sphere but functions as a synecdoche that implicates white embodiment, more generally” (Yancy, 2016: 244). When the physical body of the protagonist was in the absolute position of being gazed at, he still became an invisible man, “simply because people refuse to see [him]” in mind and what they see is “only [his] surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination — indeed, everything and anything except [him]”. (Ellison, 1995: 3) His invisibility is caused by something wrong with their inner eyes “with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality” (3). Their failure to see the real him through the inner eyes, or the ignoring and blinding of him, leads to the invisibility of his social identity.

1.2.1 Exploited Student in Black Education

Recognized by white people for speeches given in battle royal, the protagonist went to the state college for blacks with a scholarship. There was a bronze statue of the college Founder at the campus, who was holding out his hands to lift a veil of “a kneeling slave” (36). But what puzzled our protagonist was “whether the veil is really being lifted, or lowered more firmly in place,” and whether it is “a revelation or a more efficient blinding”. (ibid) The bronze face seems looking upon the world, but actually his eyes are “empty” (ibid). It follows that black education may be a big lie and some schemers may continue to engage in a kind of education of ideological enslavement for the purpose of blinding students. They cannot see and there本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。