Ralph Ellison writes that, “Comedy provides an otherwise unavailable clarification of vision that calms the clammy trembling.” As children we make lots of mistakes, as we grow we try our best to not make mistakes but that is just not possible. Everyone has been embarrassed or picked on while a child, we have learned from these experiences how to turn an embarrassment into a joke, and Ellison is trying to show this in his quote that we turn an embarrassment into this, so we are not laughed at but with. We have learned a way to shelter ourselves from these hurtful moments in life to show the world that the person did this on purpose just to get a laugh or that they are not afraid of the scrutiny. In some level we all know that the last option is not one that is not very true, some people might make it seem that way but we know on some level it will bother us when we are embarrassed. Ellison is trying to say that there are many ways to turn a bad situation into one that can make everyone laugh.
For instance, when we laugh at comedians we know that they are usually making fun of someone but because they are not in front of us we feel as though it is okay to laugh. “… We pierce the veil of conventions that guard us from the basic absurdity of the human condition.” Ellison shows us here that we all are afraid of being made fun of and laughter and making fun of you shows everyone that they made it a mistake and it was fun, they are also okay with it. He also helps us to understand that we are all afraid of being made fun of and when people try to make it into a joke it makes it more socially acceptable.
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