Things Not Seen

The central problem in the story is that Bobby has suddenly become invisible. This forces him to re-evaluate his place in the world and his relationships with his parents. Unable to communicate using facial expressions and body movements, Bobby must rethink how to interact with others; this forces him to pay closer attention to them. He sees his mom and dad in greater detail and realizes that they’re not just overbearing parents but also human beings with feelings and hopes and fears.

It also forces him to pay attention to someone he might otherwise have ignored: Alicia, who becomes a close friend. Alicia lost her sight two years earlier; since then, she has lost her popularity and become socially isolated. Her experience puts Bobby in mind of his own feelings of social invisibility before he actually became transparent. They both see that being invisible is as much an inner reality as an outer one.

Bobby finds that being invisible gives him power over others. He uses it to sneak into buildings, secretly observe people, and acquire the closely guarded information he needs to find a cure. Meanwhile, while inquiring about job openings at Sears, Alicia learns that she can become socially visible by asserting herself. Both sets of parents are reminded by their children’s calamities not to take them for granted and to pay close attention to the kids’ wants and dreams. The minor character Sheila Borden introduces Bobby to a new perspective on invisibility: She prefers to stay that way. For people like Bobby and Alicia, feeling (and being) invisible is painful and lonely; for Sheila, it is freeing. Invisibility thus has effects that are many, varied, and sometimes beneficial.

The main library at the University of Chicago is where Bobby and Alicia meet, and where later they get together to talk. As a repository of knowledge, it represents their mutual interest in learning; as a quiet place, it brings silence to their mutual visual disability, which helps them focus on each other and their thoughts and feelings. The library thus is a connection point, a proving ground, and a safe space where the two kids can begin to build a friendship based on shared interests, mutual respect, and fondness. 

Not wishing to reveal to the world that he’s invisible, Bobby decides against walking around town fully clothed, his face and hands completely covered. That works only during extremely cold days, when a lot of people wear heavy scarves and other head protection. The rest of the time, he simply removes all his clothing and walks naked everywhere. Mostly, he goes to the university library, where he meets with Alicia, who cannot see him either way.

Wearing nothing at all permits Bobby to have several interesting adventures. Removing all of his clothing renders him completely invisible, which gives him a sense of freedom: As long as no one hears or touches him, he can go wherever he pleases completely unhindered. However, this removal of clothing also symbolizes his feelings of vulnerability—to be fully transparent, he must forego the protection that clothes afford. It also reminds him that he already feels unseen and unnoticed by his parents and school acquaintances.