Ralph Ellison e Toni Morrison: alla ricerca dell'identità nel caso di Pecola Breedlove e dell'uomo invisibile

This research focuses on the Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952) and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (1970), which are still considered two important references of the historical and cultural background of African American people. The core of the present research are the main protagonists of the two novels, Pecola Breedlove and the invisible man. It is conceived as an interdisciplinary study and tries to identify and explain Morrison and Ellison’s intent behind their novels. In order to achieve this goal, the present study is built on consistent previous published studies and the work of prominent authors in the field of African American Studies. Special attention is given to William Eduard Du Bois (2019), whose contribution provides a thoroughly insight into the nature of the Negro social problem. Another prominent critical thinker, Frantz Fanon (1994), is taken into great consideration, with his theory of the mask, which provide a meaningful lens through which to deepen the Black man condition. In addition, Eugenia Collier (1982) offers a revealing insight on the dimensions of the alienation which the two protagonists, though not in the same way, experience. Of particular interest is also the research by Elaine Showalter (2005), a quintessential theory of accommodation, that help us navigate through the phases Pecola and the unnamed character go through. What is more, a pivotal analysis on the various types of discrimination which the two protagonists encounter is conducted thanks to Vincent Parillo’s classification of the five levels of discrimination (1985).