An Analysis of the Short Story, Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison - Essay Example

An Analysis of the Short Story, Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison Battle loyal is a short story by Ralph Ellison. The short story also forms the first chapter of his book ‘Invisible Man.’ The story tells the experiences of a young African American man living at a time when racism and segregation was practiced. The focus in the story is the racial segregation and prejudice that the African Americans had to live with. The narrator is unnamed in the story which shows that he is representing the entire African American community had to deal with. In the first paragraph, the narrator states that ‘…I had to discover that I am an invisible man’ (15). The narrator also avoids giving direct statements that show the suffering that the African Americans suffered. Despite the societal pressure, he manages to show their struggles through symbolic representations. The story therefore deals with the fight by a minority in a society to find their rightful place and fight the prejudice that is directed towards them. The African American is also seeking his self-identity in the story. He no longer wishes to be the ‘invisible man’ (15). The novel was written at a time when slavery had been abolished, but the racial discrimination was still widespread and widely acceptable. The events of the ‘Battle Royal’ are used to bring to the attention the issues that faced the African Americans in their day-to-day struggle for equal rights and self-identity. In the story, many symbols are used to bring forth the meaning in the story. The main symbol in the story is the narrator. He remains unnamed to show that he is representative of the entire African American community. He refers to himself as an ‘...invisible man’ (15). The invisibility that the narrator is speaking about represents the unwillingness by the society to see the African American as an empowered individual with equal capabilities. The narrator is graduating from high school, yet the whites will not recognize his intellectual capacity. When they invite him to give a graduation speech, they subject him to several humiliating activities. In his struggle to find his rightful place in the society, the narrator is willing to subject himself to humiliation. The expectations that he had of the way the white men would behave as he read his speech are however crushed. He previously stated that he had ‘visualized myself as a potential Booker T. Washington’ (17). While he had expected them to have an appreciation of knowledge, he finds them rejoicing at the humiliation of the African American boys and of the white woman forced to dance naked for them. His expectation to deliver his speech for the town’s respected men is not realized. He is willing to subject himself to a violent boxing match as he feels that this will help him get closer to achieving his dream. After subjecting himself to the humiliation of the ‘Battle loyal’, he is rewarded with a scholarship to attend college. He is willing to forget the humiliation that he had to subject himself to for an opportunity to attend college, which he feels, is his opportunity to get a sense of self and reach his dream. The Battle loyal is also symbolic of the humiliations and struggles that the African American community is subjected to. During the battle, a group of African American men are blindfolded and forced to fight each other for the entertainment of the white crowd. Before the fight starts, they are forced to watch a naked white woman in an erotic dance. The narrator is confused as to whether he should look at the woman or what he should do. He says ‘…My teeth chattered, my skin turned to goose flesh, my knees knocked. Yet I was strongly attracted and looked in spite of myself" (19). The erotic dance that is performed is a way for the white men to put the black men in a position to lose. While it is in their nature to want to look at the white woman, the fact that she is white means that she is taboo for them. Just like is the situation in their life, the black men do not know how to act, as they have not discovered their position within the society. The white woman is presented to them as a distraction. The erotic dance is performed to convince the African Americans that she is what they wish they could get, and that their goal should be to become more like the white men. The white woman is therefore to encourage them to want to achieve ‘whiteness’ while at the same time threatening them from achieving the same. She is also a symbol of the American dream that seems so near yet is out of reach for the African Americans. The whites however have the privilege of abusing the dream. After the battle, they are put through a series of humiliations in the promise of getting money at the end of it. Their humiliations include being forced to collect coins from a rug that has electric current. After the battle, the narrator is given a chance to present his speech. The mention of the word ‘equality’ almost costs him the scholarship. The white men heckle him as he gives his speech. They however tell him that ‘…We mean to do right by you, but you've got to know your place at all times…’ (31) as an excuse for their behavior. He however does all he can to uphold his dignity despite the humiliation that he is being subjected to. During the battle, he has to please the white people who look at him as being inferior. All the while during the battle, he is focused on the speech that he has to give. This is because if he does not do so, then he will not get the opportunity to better himself. The narrator has always lived as a ‘model citizen’ to the white community. He can be said to be wearing blindfolds that prevent him from seeing the dehumanizing acts that the people of his race are forced to perform. He is however not the only one who is blind. Those who force him to perform the dehumanizing acts are also blind as they cannot see his individuality. All they see in him is the stereotype of the African American, and they have therefore neglected his individuality. The senseless fighting to which the blacks are subjected to shows that the whites considered the blacks as animals who could be used for entertainment purposes. The battle is one of the ways in which the white people in the society forced the African Americans to be invisible. The narrator is often haunted by the memory of his grandfather’s last words. He says that ‘the old man’s words were like a curse’ (17). The fact that these words haunt him can be seen to be symbolic. It shows that as an African American, he has feelings of self-hatred. His grandfather viewed himself as a traitor. He considered his life a treachery. The narrator has also come to the realization that he has to submit and accept humiliation from the white society if he is to achieve his dream of furthering his ambition. He however wonders if that will result to him lowering his dignity as a human being. If he however does not lower himself, he will not achieve his dreams. The African American is presented with this dilemma. The dilemma is further discussed in the narrator’s speech. He says ‘…humility was the secret the very essence of progress…’ (17). He however goes on to assert that he did not believe in this principle, especially because of the memory of his grandfather. He however believed that that was what worked in the society. Because of his submission and for preaching the message of African American humility and submission to the whites, he is rewarded with a scholarship to attend a Negro college. Towards the end of the story, he has a dream where he is presented with an envelope that has an official seal. When he gets to the letter, it reads ‘keep this nigger boy running’ (33). The dream can be interpreted to mean the myriad of obstacles that he will have to overcome before he can achieve his dream. While he thinks that the opportunity to attend college means that he will soon discover that it is not the case and will be forced to set another goal. The process of setting goals and realizing that he is still yet to achieve equality will be a continuous cycle in his life. As is written on the letter, he will be kept running towards the achievement of equality yet the whites will never let him achieve it. The story can therefore be seen to represent the confusion and compromise that are involved in the search for identity for the African American. At the end of the story, one comes to the realization that seeking approval from the white man does not mean that the African American has achieved equality. Getting the approval is merely a less conspicuous way of submitting to the values and the ideals of the whites. The fighting during the battle is a representation of the hostile environment that the people are subjected to, and how such an environment causes then to become violent and hostile. The narrator describes the fight as being ‘…complete anarchy. Everybody fought everybody else. No group fought together for long’ (23). Unfortunately, the confusion and the exposure to the hostile environment cause the African Americans to direct their hostility and violence towards each other. Works cited Ellison, Ralph. Invisible man. New York: Modern Library. 1994. Print. Read More