There are two types of illusions: optical and perceptual. Optical illusions are objects distorted due to the anatomy of the eye. Perceptual illusions are objects that are distorted due to the nature of the brain. A child hears a monster outside the window, but when the parent turns on the light, it turns out to be just a branch hitting the window. A survivor develops frostbite on his leg and a ranger has to amputate it before he dies. After amputation, the woman sees her leg separated from her body, but still feels it there. Perceptual illusions are an unconscious form of self-protection, but too much protection can isolate an individual. In Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man, the main character, a nameless, faceless black man, falls victim to the delusion that his identity is determined by others and consequently separates himself from society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Invisible Man is narrated by a character who recently discovers that he is not seen by others. The book is a memoir of moments from his past before he realized his invisibility. From adolescence in the South to black college to political organizing on the streets of Harlem, the Invisible Man explains how the illusion began. He is looking back on his life and realizes that he has only defined himself as others see him. Throughout the book, the Invisible Man tries to convince the reader that he is a victim of his own delusion and that little can be done to prevent his invisibility. One of his earliest memories of invisibility is when he gives a speech before white leaders at an event called the Battle Royal. Once at the event, he realizes that the event is actually entertainment for the wealthy white leaders. They urge young black men to fight against each other and throw money at beaten boys. The Invisible Man reluctantly fights back with the hope of reading his speech. When the whites tell him to read his speech, he is bloody and bruised. He stammers words as drunken white men laugh at him. At the end of the speech, he is awarded a scholarship to a Negro college and quickly forgets about the pain he has endured. The speech was about “social responsibility” and “equality,” which he immediately regrets saying, which is ironic given that he finds himself among the men who told him to put aside his otherwise peaceful nature. He explains that he never considered himself a fighter, but in Battle Royal he becomes the white stereotype: an uneducated sycophant. Because the Invisible Man has not developed the illusion of being invisible, he recites his speech louder to white men while they drink and speaks as if they really cannot hear his voice. The men only make more noise and laugh at the blood spraying from the boy's mouth. This scene is the birth of the illusion that his identity is malleable. She believes she can submit to these men to succeed without neglecting her true self. The older Invisible Man recalls the scene by stating that he is happy to have received the scholarship, thus proving that he still does not see reality. As the Invisible Man walks the streets of Harlem, he sees white men throwing away the belongings of an old black couple. the window of the apartment for which the couple could not pay the rent. The Invisible Man gives a speech about the event as it is happening, and a man named Brother Jack asks him to join a political organization. Brother Jack promises him a new name, past, clothes, style and home. The Invisible Man agrees and briefly becomes famous in Harlem. It's only when he makes a speech that.