Focalization in Ralph Waldo Ellison’s Invisible Man

Abstract

This research deals with focalization as an important aspect of narratology developed by structuralists. This research aims to explore how the new concept of point of view in narrative theory differ from traditional concept. In doing so, the researcher applied the new concept to the discussion and analysis of Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man. From the analysis, it is shown that Ralph Ellison has made use of multiple focalizers in telling the story, not of a single narrator, as analyzed by using the traditional concept of point of view. The use of multiple focalizations provides the readers with objective viewpoints by representing the perspectives of black and white people and, in turn, supports the racial issue the author wants to convey. The approach applied in this research is qualitative, and the data were gathered from the novel. From this research, it is hoped that the readers can have a better understanding of modern narratology and can later apply the theory in analyzing other works of fiction.