The Validity of Invisible Man and The Jungle as Historical Works Essays

The Validity of Invisible Man and The Jungle as Historical Works Essays The Validity of Invisible Man and The Jungle as Historical Works Essay The Validity of Invisible Man and The Jungle as Historical Works Essay Essay Topic: Historical Invisible Man The Jungle The Jungle Book It is often difficult to understand the way society worked in previous generations. Historical fiction allows readers to go back in time and really comprehend the issues that occurred back then. These types of books can be key in providing a greater understanding of different historical eras. Two examples of historical fiction works are Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. These two works are both historically accurate, for the most part, while also giving an eye-opening perspective that helps the reader learn more about American history. Both Invisible Man and The Jungle are classified as fiction. However, most of what is told in both novels are historically accurate. In Invisible Man, a few of the details closely resemble real things that were a part of the author, Ralph Ellisons life. The narrator of the story spends some time as a young adult at a college that he received a scholarship to from a group of wealthy white men. This college that he attends is similar to the Tuskegee Institute, an all-black college that Ralph Ellison attended. Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee Institute in an effort to help educate young black men. The college the narrator attends in the story is also an all black college, one that was also founded by a black man as well. Ellison later said that the college in the story was modeled after the Tuskegee Institute, or Tuskegee University as it is known today. After being expelled from the college, the narrator of the story moves to New York, and eventually joins The Brotherhood, a political group that fights for equal rights. Eventually, the narrator and many of the other African American members leave the group, as they feel they are being betrayed. The Brotherhood is very much similar to the American Communist Party and it’s beliefs during the 1930’s. Ralph Ellison had joined the Communist Party at the time, before eventually leaving the party once he realized the