Battle Royal and A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings - Essay Example

‘Battle Royal’ and ‘A very Old Man with Enormous Wings’ Ellison’s short story ‘Battle Royal’ presents a startling scene of naivete, violence, and economic power. The story revolves behind the institutions of racism and a desire to assert an identity in the shadow of historical tragedy. Ellison uses his settings and characters clearly to depict the theme of racism and exploitation of the inferior in the short story ‘Battle Royal’. In the short story, ‘Battle Royal’, the young black man who seeks a scholarship after completing high school faces dehumanization and humiliation before attaining the scholarship to a lack college. The short story brings out how black Americans face discrimination and are deprived their identity and individuality (Blake, 121). Similarly, Gabriel Marquez also uses the theme of exploitation in his short story. The Pelayo family exploits the old man and treats him unfairly. They enclose the old man in the chicken coop outside the house where stranger pay to have a look at him. This form of greed and inhuman act towards the old man with enormous wings depict their cruelty upon him. Similarity Both literary works portray a main theme of exploitation. Ellison’s short story ‘Battle Royal’ presents a startling scene of naivete, violence, and economic power. The story revolves behind the institutions of racism and the urge of asserting an identity in the shadow of historical tragedy. Ellison uses his settings and characters clearly to depict the theme of racism and exploitation of the inferior in the short story ‘Battle Royal’. In the short story, ‘Battle Royal’, the young black man who seeks a scholarship after completing high school faces dehumanization and humiliation before attaining the scholarship to a lack college. The short story brings out how black Americans face discrimination and deprived their identity and individuality (Blake, 121). Similarly, Gabriel Marquez also uses the theme of exploitation in his short story. The Pelayo’s family exploits the old man and treats him unfairly. They enclose the old man in the chicken coop outside the house where stranger pay to have a look at him. This form of greed and inhuman act towards the old man makes them rich and financially stable. The two authors have significantly used irony in their short stories to support their argument on exploitation of the inferior in the society. According to Christian perception, angels depict strength, limitless freedom, speed, and power. Ironically, Garcia-Marquez conveys the old man as weak as humanly possible. The old man with his wings strewn with parasites and his feathers damaged by the wind does not by any chance deserve the dignity of an angel. This portrays his inferiority, which ultimately results to his manipulation. ‘Battle Royal’ depicts irony as the young man and the blacks admire the very white men who condemn them and treat them as slaves. The narrator confesses of allowing himself for over twenty years to face definition from other people’s expectations. Ellison goes further to show irony through the tattoo on the white woman’s body. The tattoo possessed by the white woman depicts equality in America. Ironically, the woman with the tattoo finds herself in a society that does not approve equality at all circumstances. Both writers have used symbolism in their short stories. For instance, Ellison uses his works to present the repetition of action for symbolic purposes. He uses his skill to dramatize the social relationship between blacks and the whites. As a social ritual, his short story reflects of the precincts of the blacks in countenance with the white power. The social ritual denotes the relationship between the oppressive and the oppressed in the society (Blake, 123). The story depicts how the blacks are deprived their rights of securing a place in the society. They are discriminated and viewed as worthless and inferior in the society. Before the narrator earns himself a scholarship to college, he makes a speech to prominent white people. This shows an unjust act of the whites to the blacks. As a former slave, the narrator symbolizes how blacks experience debasement, dehumanization, and violence from the whites. When the young blacks are made to fight amongst themselves, the image symbolizes the African’s slavery journey from freedom to slavery (Samuels, 48). It shows their involuntary measure and experience as they try to fight for their rights. In his theoretical analysis, Ellison demonstrates not only the politics of slavery but also the chaos of the universe. He tries to reveal how the blacks strive to acquire their freedom and identity through the hard way. Marquez uses the old man to symbolize freedom of the family from their captivity of poverty. The old man is depicted as both natural and supernatural (Mcfarland, 554). As God sent, the old man brings prosperity to the family and frees them from the captivity of poverty. In essence, Gabriel Marquez uses the old man with enormous wings and his relationship with the Pelayo’s family to symbolize the exploitative relationship that exists between Roman Catholic Church and humanity. Marquez further uses the spider woman in his short story to show fickleness in an individual’s life. People are exploited in the society with no power to free themselves. They are drawn to slavery where they find it hard to come out. Marquez uses his short story to portray how people sway when making decisions in everyday life. Some people fail to make just decisions or even live according to their decisions. When the old man proves capable of only carrying out minor consolation miracles, people opt to go to the spider woman whose lessons sharply contrast with the obscurity of the old man’s existence and purpose. Both short stories portray cruelty in a more sophisticated manner. Ellison’s intentions of coming up with this short story is to reveal the past painful of Blacks through the past thus extending the short story as a metaphor for brutality of chattel slavery (Samuels, 49). The blacks face cruelty and mistreatment in the hands of the whites. Even though blacks work hard to meet the desires of the whites, they face rejection, hatred, and prejudice. As they try their best to entertain the prominent white people, they still face subjection to torture and acts of cruelty. Despite the humiliation and exploitation the narrator receives from the whites, he still thrives to make a speech that will enable him acquire a college scholarship. He is forced to receive his reward from an electrified rug thus portraying the cruelty of Whites to the blacks. He delivers his speech while choking on blood and saliva that fill his mouth. This humiliation makes him understand of his place and role in the society. (Callahan, 41). According to Gabriel Marquez, as the old man is left at the chicken coop, strangers get the opportunity to throw stones at him, gawk at him and even burn him with a burning iron (Goodwin, 128). This portrays the inhuman act and cruelty the family show towards the old man despite his ability to bring them prosperity and wealth. After he flies away, the woman sees it as a relief to have a hell of an angel out of her house. She forgets the change that the old man has brought in their life. Contrast Contrary to the short story ‘Battle Royal’, Marquez uses his story to show compassion. The old man with enormous wings is depicted as incapable of helping himself. Pelayo who finds the old man stuck in the mud offers to take him home. This shows compassion and pity for the poor creature that seems weak and sickly. It is through compassion that the mysterious creature offers to stay and help the family financially. Even though the creature gets unjust treatment, his refusal to leave portrays an act of compassion to help the impoverished couple. Moreover, Pelayo’s child is able mysteriously to recover from sickness after the arrival of the angel (Pelayo, 70). The old man co exists with the ill-treatment posed to him by the Pelayo family and succeeds in staying. This is completely different from Ellison’s short story where the whites have no pity for blacks. The whites are depicted to have less humanity as they force the narrator to undergo a series of tasks with other fellow blacks before getting a scholarship, which is their responsibility. Unlike to Gabriel Marquez, Ellison’s short story cynically presents the issue of superiority and inferiority. The white are termed and viewed as superior than the blacks. The battle royal the narrator is supposed to participate consists of nine other blacks (Samuels, 49). This implies that the blacks are worth harming themselves and not at all acknowledged in the society. Before them is a naked white woman who dances melodically. They are however, banned from viewing the woman since she is a white and it is a taboo for a black man to view a naked white woman. Though they feel the urge to look at the woman they are not worthy of such a sight. This shows that the whites are more privileged and powerful than the blacks. After the entire struggle he makes, the narrator ultimately gets a scholarship to a black college. This shows how the blacks face inferiority in the society (Callahan, 41). In addition, Ellison uses the short story caustically to depict the real cultural issues experienced by African Americans in the society throughout history (Callahan, 38). The story depicts how the blacks are deprived their rights of securing a place in the society. They are discriminated and viewed as worthless and inferior in the society. Although given the chance to make his speed, he is mocked and despised in front of the crowd. This depicts the inferiority of the blacks to the whites. Conclusion In conclusion, writers of the two short stories have significantly used their outstanding skills to portray real life in the modern society. The two short stories show some similarities although they also tend to contrast in one way or the other. Marquez and Ellison denote the moral acts experienced by individuals in the society. For instance, they reveal how cruelty occurred in history and how cruelty still exists to date. Both writers exemplify the satirical nature and irony in the modern society to show public dehumanization of the main characters used in their short stories. It is important to note that every individual is equal and deserves fair and just treatment. Moreover, appreciation is very crucial as a way of returning favor. It is important for an individual to acknowledge good deeds done to him/her by other people. Standing firm and fighting for one’s rights is crucial for everyone in the society. It is important not to depict weakness rather remain confident in decision-making. Any person should never lose hope in attaining a desired goal. Work cited Goodwin, John. Marquez’s A VERY OLD MAN WITH ENORMOUS WINGS and Bambara’s THE LESSON. Lunenburg. Heldref Publications, 2006. Blake, L. Susan. Ritual and Rationalization: Black Folklore in the Works of Ralph Ellison. Callahan, F. John. Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man: A Casebook. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Goodwin, John. Marquez’s A VERY OLD MAN WITH ENORMOUS WINGS and McFarland, Ronald. COMMUNITY AND INTERPRETIVE COMMUNITIES IN STORIES BY HAWTHORNE, KAFKA AND GARCIA MARQUEZ. Pelayo, Ruben. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A Critical Companion. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. Print. Samuels, D.Wilfred. Ellison’s INVISIBLE MAN (1952). Read More