In the book’s nonfiction Introduction, Ellison reflects on the time he spent writing Invisible Man, which took him about seven years (from about 1945-1952). During most of that period, he lived in New York City’s largely African American Harlem and remarks that the irregular schedule he kept as he wrote made his neighbors suspicious of him, which amuses him.

Ellison was trying to write a different novel than Invisible Man, one that was set overseas during World War II. However, the “voice” of Invisible Man’s protagonist kept coming to him, and he finally abandoned his previous idea to write the novel. Ellison states that his goal in writing the novel was to explore where the narrative voice took him, as well as examining racial stereotypes to reinfuse them with the nuances the stereotypes are meant to strip away.  

The African American protagonist relates that he is invisible—the concept is introduced somewhat literally—and that he has learned to adapt to his circumstances, creating a life for himself despite his invisibility. He shows forbearance toward people who don’t know that he’s there by restraining himself from doing violence to them.