Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal" is symbolic of the African American struggle for equality after the abolition of slavery. The various hardships that the narrator must endure in his quest to deliver his speech represent the many hardships that the blacks went through in their fight for equality. The narrator in Ellison's short story endures a great deal of suffering. He is considered to be one of the brighter youths in his black community, and Ellison explains that he was "invited to give [a] speech at a gathering of the town's leading white citizens"(938). His speech was passive and supportive of the white race. It was very similar to the "Atlanta Exposition Address" given by Booker T. Washington. Within Washington's speech, he declares that blacks understand humility and do not expect to be viewed as socially equal(951). But, the harsh treatment that he is dealt with to give his speech is quite symbolic of the many hardships that the African American people had to endure while they fought for their common goal, equality.
             The main character expects to give his speech in a positive and normal environment. What faces him is something that he never would have imagined. Ellison describes the scene: "All of the town's big shots were there [...] drinking beer and whiskey and smoking black cigars"(939). Before the young boy could give his speech they asked him to compete in a battle royal. The harsh conditions that the boys competing in the battle royal faced are phenomenal. At first the boys are ushered into a room where a nude woman is dancing. Ellison portrayed the woman as "a magnificent blonde-stark naked." The white men yell at the boys for looking, and then, for not looking at the woman. It is as if they are showing them all of the good things being white can bring, and then saying that they aren't good enough for it since they are black. It also shows the fear and disgust of the white race about interracial relationships. Gunnar...