Overview of Ralph Ellison's 'Battle Royal'

Throughout history, there have been many exceptional African American writers who have created some of the most inspiring and intellectual stories. Ralph Ellison was one author among many who used his talents to address several of the social issues many African Americans faced. Many events that take place in his novel, Invisible Man, all had different underlying messages. One of the most significant events that took place in the novel was the Battle Royal. In the story, the author describes the Battle Royal as a rite of passage that forces the narrator to participate in a violent and chaotic fight amongst a group of other men while being blindfolded. While on the surface it may appear as if the Battle Royal is simply just an unnecessary fight, it actually comes into play as a metaphor for an even larger idea that Ellison wants to present.

In Ralph Ellison's “The Battle Royal' the battle was a portrayal of the social and political power struggle between African Americans and Whites. Moreover, the Battle Royal served as a prime example of how white people took complete control over the innocence and dignity of black people and used them for their own pleasure. In the scene of the Battle Royal, the narrator along with several other men are blindfolded. The white blindfold symbolizes how black people become blinded by the white, allowing them to take control and steer them in whatever direction they want them to go. The Battle Royal also serves as a source of amusement and entertainment for white people. The narrator learns that he will be participating in the Battle Royal, “When I got there I discovered that it was on the occasion of a smoker, and I was told that since I was to be there anyway I might as well take part in the battle royal to be fought by some of my schoolmates as part of the entertainment.” From this, it is clear that white people didn’t care about the well-being of black people. The Whites blatantly forced these men to take part in this cruel activity in an effort to watch them completely brutalize and humiliate themselves for a mere set of coins. This event gave Whites an opportunity to show their aggression and hatred towards the black community without physically harming anyone, furthering the idea that white supremacy was apparent.

I believe Ralph Ellison’s purpose for the extremely graphic descriptions was to make the message he was trying to deliver loud and clear. Many African American writers spoke through their writing instead of verbally speaking. Writing allowed authors to say things that couldn’t verbally be said, so he used these descriptions to provide readers with a clear idea of what life was like for African Americans during that time and what they had to go through. These graphic descriptions also make the scene more appealing. Just by reading the excerpt from the book, it’s almost as if you can feel yourself being included in the scene.