Invisibility literally means that something is impossible to see or hidden from view. An object might be invisible because of its natural state of being. For example, clean air is invisible. Or it might be invisible because of the way it interacts or blends with its surroundings as in the case of a chameleon. If an object is behind a larger object and therefore concealed from view it could be said to be invisible. The connotation that is nearest the literary symbolic form of invisibility utilized by Ellison is that of inconspicuousness or not being easily noticed.
             In his book, The Other America, Michael Harrington wrote "The millions who are poor in the United States tend to become increasingly invisible." He talks about how he made this discovery while researching his first article on poverty and he didn't believe his own figures. The numbers were extremely large, around 50,000,000 but to him they were just numbers because he did not see or interact with these people. They had no impact on his life. Therefore, as far as he and the rest of middle and upper class America were concerned, they were invisible.
             This is the type of invisibility that Ellison refers to in Battle Royal. His grandfather had told him "...I want you to overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction, let 'em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open." This behavior would cause the White men of the day to feel "safe" in his presence. They would believe that he was conforming to the norm and he would be in a better position to fight the battle that is grandfather regretted not having fought.
             Compelling the narrator to fight in the brawl was an indication that "the town's leading white citizens" considered him to be no better than the others even though they had invited him to speak. They liked his speech because in it he had expressed that humility was the essence of prog
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