Symbolism In Battle Royal, By Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison 's "Battle Royal" portrays a young, African American man, in a post slavery era, dealing with the oppression of racism. "Battle Royal" actually became the first chapter in Ellison 's book, Invisible Man. Ellison 's book concentrates on the social issues African Americans faced during the time period of segregation. Ralph Ellison 's specific use of setting, symbolism and the idea of "humility" help to illustrate the theme of identity and social equality in this story. In this paper I argue that these writing techniques drive the story 's plot and help define the purpose and characters of the story. The setting of "Battle Royal" is crucial to the understanding of the theme and the purpose of the short story. By definition,

In my opinion, Ellison 's most blatant form of symbolism is the battle royal itself. "In the period before the Civil War, these contests often involved slaves fighting bare fisted (and sometimes blindfolded) at boxing matches. Today, this form of combat is a staple of professional wrestling, but at the time this story was written, the battle royal was relegated to back rooms and more clandestine functions and almost always involved African Americans fighting in front of a white audience." The battle is symbolic of the fight for social equality and freedom. Also, before the fight begins, the narrator sees the stripper that is being made to dance for the men. The stripper is another symbol of inequality in that time period. Women as well as blacks were believed to be inferior to men in all aspects of life besides child bearing. The woman is objectified by the white men and treated less than human, just as the African American boys were. Furthermore, Ellison describes a tattoo the woman has on her stomach, a small American flag. This is further evidence of symbolism. The tattoo symbolizes the freedom and equality the black men desired in that time. The symbolism illustrated by Ellison further addresses the lack of social equality faced by the African

The setting of "Battle Royal" is crucial to the understanding of the theme and the purpose of the short story, the use of symbolism highlights the African American 's struggle for social equality and Ellison 's emphasis of practicing humility is the central theme within the literary work. The use of these ideas, techniques and devices illustrate the theme of identity and social