A vision of equal opportunity becomes difficultly written as described by the images of symbolism in Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal." Throughout the story many different characteristics explain in detail as the symbolism unfolds. But the nude girl, the rug covered in coins and the racial inequality remarks in his speech, best describe the symbolism. All of these are deliberately expressed making the character in the story feel completely indifferent, sometimes embarrassed or with no self worth.
             First is the scene of the nude girl that for just a moment allows the character the feeling of being like a man. It lets him hold his head high and of feeling good in a sense that he is not in anyway belittled although he has not figured the outcome of why the nude girl is there. She is purposely there for him to look and as he decides it is wrong. During the excitement of him and the other boys, he knows that she is no prize and accepts that he should not be changed of his thoughts to a way of looking at woman as an object. His is unresponsive to this and is indifferent to what he should do. A tattoo of an American flag is on the woman's belly that greatly resembles freedom which he definitely not experiencing. He is trapped in this arena with other men forced to fight but he doesn't know that he is being mocked at, along with everyone else. He can only imagine how it is to be free as he is here to fight and entertain the spectators.
             Secondly, the rug covered in coins has a dramatic way of showing how the character is not only accepting his compensation. He and all the other boys have just fought, but he really has no other choice so that he is allowed to speak in front of all others and be heard. A significant twist as he collects the coins is that he is left helpless because the rug is electrified for the purpose of amusing the onlookers. Everyone watching laughs and hollers at the boys as they scramble to collect...