Seen as Invisible

The prologue to Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man does an excellent job of catching the reader's attention and making them wonder what on earth he is talking about. That was definitely my reaction. Effective intro, I kept reading.  I read for an hour (exactly, used a timer and everything) and one of the most interesting parts to me was the second paragraph on the first page.
This paragraph captures the character's feelings, also not just his feelings but his reality. This paragraph captures his life and what it feels like everyday to be him. It is also interesting because it is looking back on what has already happened in the story, yet these are events that the reader does not know.
The diction is undeniably intellectual, especially at the start, when he uses phrases like "biochemical accident to my epidermis" (3). But the register is not informative, the tone is not didactic. The tone of this paragraph strikes me as matter-of-fact, with phrases such as "that invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact" and "I am not complaining, nor am I protesting either" (3). Yet these somewhat formal statements have an air of sarcasm. The narrator switches from speaking in the first person to the second person, as if he is directly addressing the reader with "you often doubt if you really exist" (4). This second part of the paragraph has a more genuine tone as the narrator's sarcastic description of his situation fades and is replaced with the realities of what he feels about how he is treated. As he speaks in the second person, the reader is more connected and more able to empathize with events and feelings being described.
This whole paragraph actually is quite sassy, right up to the last sentence "and, alas, it's seldom successful" (4). Overall, it sounds mainly bitter. Yet not in an angry and gloomy way. He is unhappy with the situation but he accepts it and recognizes it, and then proceeds to find ways to avoid it in his life.
I think this paragraph was important to establish that fact, to let the reader get to know their narrator and main character. Now we have a basis from which to view the character and his actions throughout the novel because we have met and understood the character he is at the end of the story. This paragraph shows him after he's been through everything that we are going to read about, so we will watch his character develop while knowing the end result. And it will certainly be interesting.