Character Sketch If Invisible Man has a happy ending, it is because the invisible man is able to recognize himself as invisible, yet at the same time, accept that he is an individual. Throughout Ralph Emerson’s novel, the narrator struggles with many false identities, one after another, because of his desire to be seen. He is unable to see a self, his self, but instead acts out the wishes of others. The Invisible Man’s spiritual reconciliation begins with the fate of Tod Clifton, whose death causes him to take a step further in seeing his own identity. With his newfound self, he can then emerge and take action, as an individual.