Invisible Man, written with ingenuity by Ralph Waldo Ellison, is a masterpiece by itself, but it also intertwines into every page one or more allusions to previously written masterpieces. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, and whether it was Ellison who incorporated the works into his own or others who incorporated his work into their own, it makes for a brilliant piece of literature.

In the "Prologue," the picaro refers to himself as Jack the Bear. Although vague, this reference to Jack indicates all the Jacks in the fairy tales. Jack, the common protagonist, allows the reader to know that Invisible Man is the protagonist right away. Even earlier in the chapter, a reference to Edgar Allan Poe is made. This allusion, clear and concise, refers to the "spooks" who haunted Edgar Allan Poe and right away defines the narrator's character. In addition to these allusions, Dante's Inferno is referred to in the Prologue as well. Invisible Man relates the action of going to his home in the basement of the apartment building to descending into Hell. Later in the novel, Dante's Inferno is once again referred to as Invisible Man goes down to the basement of the paint factory.

Continuing beyond the "Prologue," Whitman's "Song of Myself" is referred to in "Chapter 2." This is a common theme throughout the novel to indicate the search for the narrator's identity. In "Chapter 4," Emerson, the poet and writer, is introduced and continues to emerge. Emerson, not heard of by the main character until a white man speaks of his work, is a writer whom Ellison, the author, is very familiar with. The author's parents named their son after this man, Ralph Waldo. On page forty-one, Emerson's essay, "Self-Reliance" is mentioned. Similar to Whitman's poetry, this essay is an underlying theme of the novel where the narrator attempts to identify his role in society.

Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey are represented in "Chapter 23." Once "Rinehart the Preacher" enters his church and listens to the sermon being given, it is notable that the preacher, Homer, and the main character of Homer's works are blind. Although Native Son was published after this work, a scene in "Chapter 22" resembles one of Richard Wright's classic chases. In Ellison's work, Invisible Man is running across rooftops away from whom he believes to be the police. This is similar to a scene in Wright's work. The reference to DuBois' The Sal's of Black Folk indicates the great racial dilemmas facing Invisible Man. On page 180, Totem and Taboo, an investigative study by Sigmund Freud discusses sexuality and incest and its validity and necessity in life. Perhaps this presents the character of the reader of this novel. Freud's validity should also be questioned here, and the relationship between the psychologist and Emerson (the character in the novel) becomes apparent. 1984 has similar ideas in it where the theme of brotherhood takes priority. Finally, the common theme relating to the Bible occurs in this novel as well. The significance of red apples and molting skin relates these incidents to the first book, Genesis.

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