Commentary on Battle Royal

             Ralph Ellison's short story, Battle Royal, takes place in any small town in the south. The main focus of this story is the reoccurring incidences of racial inequality. This is a story of several generations of an Afro-American family that dream about improving their lives in a racially segregated America. In the beginning of the story, a dying old man tells his son that he should "keep up the fight". This was in reference to the fight for social equality. The grandfather also said to his son "Live with your head in the lion's mouth. 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 meant that the dying grandfather wanted his offspring to be strong and stand up for minority rights. He thought that his son should be polite and use non-violent means to achieve social equality.
             The main character in the story was the old man's grandson. He was a great public speaker who won a competition to speak at a large, private party made up of some of the top social figures in the local community. When the boy got there he saw the school superintendent, policemen, lawyers, bankers and even the local priest. Everyone was dressed up in tuxedos, drank whiskey and ate exquisite foods. He was surprised to find out that he'd be taking part in a battle royal, composed of some of his high school peers. The idea that brutality was acceptable for a lesser race was shown in this story. The black boys were blindfolded and forced to fight each other in a boxing ring for the enjoyment of the white spectators .The school superintendent yells at the boys in the ring saying "Let me at that big nigger!" Racial slurs were constantly being hurled at the contestants. These boys were treated as just another piece of entertainment for the whites. After the battle, golden coins were thrown out onto the ground for the boys to keep. (Later these are found out to be ...

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