Ralph Ellison’s Battle Royale Essay

Ralph Ellisons Battle Royal provides a realistic perspective of a lightlessness man striving to live in a nation henpecked by white supremacy. The story speaks of the conflicts between the white and shadys as advantageously as the conflicts that arise within the narrator and himself. Battle Royal resembles a black mans place in parliamentary law, the Ameri buns trance, and the habit of symbolism to convey this thought.Ellison uses symbols and imagery to engage the readers by bringing them to a time period in history where favorable equality frowned upon. decree in the 1900s was very different in terms of the social view among the American people. In the 1900s, blacks were strongly discriminated against the whites. Discrimination was not against the law as blacks were deemed free further must be segregated against the whites. The idea of a white dominate fellowship was still in existent. Ellison was born (in the course of instruction 1914) into this eon of racial discrimi nation and segregation. The story begins with the narrator reminiscing about the chivalric when his grandfather was on his final stagebed.The grandfather delivers a pitch to the narrator that proves to patronize the narrator for the rest of his life. The grandfather said, Son, after Im gone, I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, moreover our life is a war and I have been a two-timer all my born days, a spy in the enemys country ever since I give up my gun underpin in the Reconstruction. Live with your head in the lions mouth. I want you to overcome em with yeses, undermine em with grins, agree to death and destruction, let em swoller you till they vomit or bust full open (Ellison 258).The narrator was extremely puzzled with the words from his grandfather he had thought that his grandfather had gone insane. The flashback the narrator has reminds himself of his roots, his grandfather had taunted him with his dying speech for the rest of the narrators life. Th e narrator had been living as a rebel and a traitor without stock-still realizing it. He was praised by numerous white men and was considered an example of desirable conduct. I was praised by therefore most lily-white men of the town. I was considered an example of desirable conduct. solely as my grandfather had been (Ellison 259). Ellison and his grandfather were considered traitors because they were outstanding blacks in a society of white dominants.The mere fact of a black succeeding is considered high treason and rebellious in the 1900s where white dominated. The narrator believes that he is successful in this white dominated society, but in actuality, the whites are only victimisation him for haltment. 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 anyways I might as well use up part in the battle royal to be fought by some of my schoolmates as part of the enjoyment(Ellison 259). This quote from the unfermented describes exactly how the blacks were treated.All of the blacks were expected to entertain the whites in the Battle Royal. The black were symbolic and was represented as objects used to entertain the whites. Ellison uses many symbols in Battle Royal to demonstrate the lack of black equality. The battle itself is a symbol the narrators never ending battle for social equality. The battle in any case represents the lack of freedom the narrator had, he was hale into a fight without any say. We were rushed up to the front of the ballroom, where it smelled even more strongly of tobacco and whiskey. Then we were pushed into place (Ellison 260). The stripper well represents the sum of control the white men had over the blacks. Recall that in the 1900s, blacks were severely discriminated many blacks would have been persecuted for sight of a white char.The narrator tangle guilt and fear and was not sure how to react. I felt a wave of irrational guilt and fear. My teeth chat tered, my skin turned to goof flesh, my knees knocked. Yet I was strongly attracted and looked in spite of myself (Ellison 261). The naked woman excessively symbolizes the confusion of the narrator, he is not sure how to react and this symbolizes his question in his role of society. The white blindfold represents how blacks were being brainwashed by the whites into the mindset of a white dominated society.The naked woman also symbolizes the lack of respect shown to women at this time of white male dominance. The American wilt tattoo on the naked woman symbolized how a stripper had more social status than a black man. The tattoo also symbolizes the American envisage and the American paradigm. The American Dream defines the American glossiness and is used to describe the social status of a man in the American society. Ellison uses symbols from Battle Royal to describe the American Dream. The American flag tattoo on the naked woman shows represents the American Dream that can be achieved by anyone.However, the narrator is very close achieving the American Dream only to have it taken away from him. I saw the carpet covered with coins of all dimensions and a few crumpled bills. But what wound up me, scattered here and there, were the gold pieces (Ellison 266). The narrator had been given a probability at the American Dream only to be fooled when discovered the postiche coins and electrocuted. I lunged for a yellow coin lying on the blue thistle design carpet, touching it and sending a surprised shriek to wedlock those rising around me. I seek frantically to remove my accomplish but could not let go. A calorific violent cart tore by dint of my body, shaking me like a wet rat. The rug was electrified (Ellison 266-26).The narrator had been shocked not just physically but mentally. He was uncertain of this shock as it had hurt him. The promise of the American Dream was only a set of lies. The narrator had only been used to entertain the whites. The hug e face wavered down to mine as he tried to push me free. But my body was slippery and he was too drunk. It was as though I had rolled through a bed of hot coals (Ellison 267-268). The narrator is being thrown onto the rug to be electrocuted, just to fill up the entertainment of the whites. There was no American Dream for the blacks, only a fixed chance that would always favor the whites as the blacks were used for entertainment when shocked on the rug. Ellisons Battle Royal depicts the struggles of many blacks during the era of racial discrimination and segregation.The narrator described in the story straightway correlates to the life Ellison lived. He was one who was others and was blindfolded his entire life, following orders from whites and having the whites take advantage of him. The naked woman symbolized the amount of control whites had in society and how many women were disrespected whether white or black. Ellison also discusses the American Dream through the use of symbols including the electrified rugs and coins. The blacks would only be close to achieving the American Dream but never able to have the American Dream.