Battle Royal: Duality, Research Paper Example

The literary piece of Ralph Ellison exemplifies the racial extreme prejudices which were encountered in the mid of the 20^th century. In this century, the African-Americans suffered under the dominance of the white supremacy. This story tackles the social inequalities issues that were linked with the education, empowerment of economy, racial superiority and self-identity. The writer manages to portray these brutal facts faced by the Afro-Americans with the help of the main protagonist of this story (Shinn). The writer highlighted the evil acts such as the segregation of race and the horrible struggle of the black people for their identity and self-recognition. The plight of the black young man is agonizing as it refers to the psychological torments. These torments are the one that were endured by the black race as the protagonist tries to impress the white people. He ignored the counsel of his grandfather that in their lives they have to fight a perpetual war with the white people (Jarenski).

The story initiates with the depiction of the protagonist who is nameless. He strives to find a place among his people (the African-Americans) while also seeking acceptance from the white folk. The tale is full of imagery, symbolism and satire which allows the reader to appreciate the class based magnitude (Jarenski). The difference of culture in this story are played out and showing the white people superiority over the black people. For example, in front of all white audience, the young man is invited for giving a speech but with his class he is forced into a ‘battle royal’ as all of them happen to be black. This battle is not to get the winner an accolade but it is based purely for the entertainment and amusement of the white people in the audience. So, this young man (the main character) is capable intellectually and is invited to give a valedictory well received speech for his graduation but is humiliated in a horrible fight. After this battle, he is electrified as an entertainment for the white folk. The complex of inferiority is afflicting the black people and as it seems it was also played out by the opponent of the protagonist i.e. Tat lock. He also a black student refuses to play along this game of amusement of the white folk (Shinn).

This is a short story and was published initially by the well-received first novel of the author Ralph Ellison. “Battle Royal’ tells the tale of the protagonist who is unnamed and he is Black young man who just graduated from high school. He is brought to the town’s elite leader meeting to give an eloquent speech because he was in his school the smartest boy. This young boy is eager and proud to prove his ability by giving up an eloquent graduation speech. But the problem is that the audience mostly compose of the White people from the South. This was the era when there were prior struggle and war for civil rights (Samuels). So, during his speech we can see the horror of racism which was casted by these white folks (Shinn). In the speech, the young narrator took the role of the time of a typical black and that of a pleaser who is submissive. The white folk also selected their expected roles. The role of the white people was to humiliate the speech giver and the other black youth that has been invited to this speech ceremony. But in their negative actions, they ultimately humiliated themselves. The grandfather of the protagonist, admitted lying on his death bed feeling himself as a traitor because he prompted the white to get what they want from his son. We can see the layers of meaning with the help of simple in this story (Shinn). We can see that the white women denigrate and humiliate the black youth by keeping them in their places. Elliot has symbolized the woman as the youth’s thirst that America has and for its opportunities. These young men are made to fight the Battle Royal which is the fight of survival of the black people and they must struggle till the end. We can see that with all this turmoil the black youth focused on his speech and confidently showed it to the white men how he will present it (Jarenski). Ellison has pointed out the power of white by showing the struggle of the African American after and before slavery and the movements of civil right. This fight is the guise of these young people to find a path to live in this world and seek a way to get back their rights and the education they deserve. By the middle of the 19^th century slavery has outlived its usefulness (Samuels). In this story we can see that the invention of spinning machines, the introduction of various technical improvements to increase labor productivity in industry and sharply increased demand for cotton. Slave labor, even if the most severe of its operation, remained unproductive, productivity did not meet the new requirements of the industry. The system of slavery retarded the development of capitalism in the United States and the formation of a single internal national market. The abolition of slavery became thus a prerequisite for the further development of capitalism. In addition, part of the people for rejecting all human rights, the system of slavery was a threat to the welfare and civil liberties of the American people and of growing protest blacks and wide movement against slavery among the various segments of the American population. However, this in turn led to increased unrest slaves and to the growth of the abolitionist movement in the decade preceding the Civil War.

We can see a lot of discrimination in this story. In one example, we can see that the government of America has made it hard for the African Americans to live normal lives in the south. After the abolishment of slavery and until the middle of the 1960s, there seem to be an extreme racism and discrimination by the white people to the African Americans. Even the government didn’t support the black people and not stop the white people. There were laws such as Jim Crow laws related to discrimination which fundamentally made it legal to treat the blacks with cruelty by the white people. In short, we can see a lot of instances of cruelties and discrimination done by the white people to the black people. The white men hurt the protagonist throughout the story. They also torture physically, mentally and psychologically the other black boys. But still the protagonist doesn’t give up hope and feels that the blacks can follow the unjust laws and cruelty for the good of the society (Jarenski). The question of racial inequality was urgent for the US progressive country for a long time and it began with the oppression of indigenous Indians, who are not considered for the people herded into reservations and exterminated hundreds of thousands, directly or indirectly.  Then, the US population was supplemented by black natives in Africa, which brought here like animals to use on heavy agricultural work mostly in the south.  In the north of America things were better as there blacks were used as domestic servants, but the status of a slave to them remained.  In fact, slavery was abolished in 1883, blacks formally received the status of US citizens but remained white racial superiority blacks relied individual schools, hospitals and even a place in public transport. Progressive policy changes occurred only in the 60s of 20^th century, when laws were passed, equalizing social status of all ethnic groups of citizens of the United States (Jarenski).

In the start of the novel we can see the white man to be strippers who are naked and wants to gain control of the main character and his group. They also want him to emotionally and psychologically hurt them. As stated by the critic of American Literature Lee, ‘For the white Mother, Martha Washington, Women Scarlett and Pocahontas, the stripper is a synthetic metaphor. An object of adoration and rape, a pleasure object is the white flesh. And for the word ‘Nigger’ a threat of the locus classics, a castration and a taboo’ (Samuels). This metaphor identified by the critic shows that how the black people are controlled by the white people and the government supports this. The stripper is for the white men a kind of pleasure. But for the black people it means serious problem (Samuels). If a black person look at a white women who is naked, then they are jailed immediately, beaten or even killed. The young black boys comprising of the protagonist are emotionally and psychologically distraught in this story.

Works Cited

Busby, Mark, and Gale Group. Ralph Ellison. 582 Vol. Boston, Mass: Twayne Publishers, 1991. Print.

Jarenski, Shelly. “Invisibility Embraced: The Abject as a Site of Agency in Ellison’s “Invisible Man”.” MELUS 35.4 (2010): 85-109. Print.

Samuels, Wilfred D. “Ellison’s Invisible Man.” Explicator 44.2 (1986): 47. Print.

Shinn, Christopher A. “Masquerade, Magic, and Carnival in Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man”.” African American Review 36.2 (2002): 243-61. Print.