The story, “The Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison was published in 1952 with the goal to show what America was like for African Americans after slavery. The Battle Royal is an event in the story where a group of black men are put into a boxing ring and are forced to fight against each other while blindfolded to gain dominance. Ellison uses symbolism throughout the story to show the ongoing struggle African Americans faced for equality.
Ellison was born on March 1, 1914, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His father died when he was a little boy so he was mostly raised by his mother. His parents always knew that he was going to become something great, preferably a writer. He was actually named after his father's favorite writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson. His mother used to bring home magazines for him to read when he was a child. This broadened his perspective and motivated him to go beyond his limited environment. Although Ellison loved writing, that was not his first love. He was a music major at Tuskegee University. After college, he started to take writing more seriously and decided to write his first novel, “Invisible Man”. He wrote this novel on a farm in Vermont. “Invisible Man” addresses many of the social and intellectual issues faced by African Americans. The short story that he is most known for is “The Battle Royal”. “The Battle Royal”, published in 1952, shows what America was like for black people post-slavery and the hardships that they faced.
“The Battle Royal” is a story about a young African American man who was invited to deliver his graduation speech at a gathering of the town's leading white citizens. He thinks that he is going to a normal event, where he will just deliver his speech but that is not the case. When he gets there, he finds out that he will be fighting the battle royal as part of the entertainment for the event. He is also haunted by the words of his dying grandfather which he always keeps in the back of his mind. 'Son, after I'm gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but our life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born days, a spy in the enemy's country ever since I give up my gun back in the Reconstruction. Live with your head in the lion's mouth. I want you to overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction, let 'em swollen you till they vomit or bust wide open.” (Ellison 1). His grandfather is telling him to keep fighting for equality and that black people are just living in a white man's country. He wants him to do whatever it takes to obtain equality. His speech is significant because he is telling advice from his life experiences that will, later on, be a lesson to his grandson.
Ellison uses a lot of symbolism in this short story. The story starts off with the nameless narrator getting ready to deliver his speech. The fact that the narrator is nameless is symbolism itself. The narrator does not have a name because he is symbolizing all the African Americans in America. Although every single black person did not go through the same exact situation of fighting in the battle royal, the overall message of fighting for equality and being oppressed by white supremacists is what every black person went through. When he arrives at the gathering and is informed that he has to participate in the battle royal, they take his clothes off of him. This stripping of clothing symbolizes slaves and how they were stripped of their land and culture. Before the men start fighting, they are blindfolded with a white cloth. “But the blindfold was as tight as thick skin, puckering scab and when I raised my gloved hands to push the layers of white aside a voice yelled, “Oh, no you don't, black bastard! Leave that alone!'” (Ellison 5). This thick, tight, restricting blindfold symbolizes the invisibility of black people at the time. The darkness and tightness of the blindfold represent the fact that they didn't have a voice and were restricted because of the color of their skin. One of the white men shouted “Oh, no you don't, black bastard! Leave that alone!”, as the narrator was trying to adjust his blindfold. The white man did not want him to have the power of being able to see. While the fight was going on, all the narrator could think about was his speech. “The harder we fought the more threatening the men became. And yet, I had begun to worry about my speech again. How would it go? Would they recognize my ability? What would they give me?” (Ellison 6). Blood dripped down his face, smoke invaded his lungs, sick to the stomach, and he was still thinking about his speech in the middle of it all. The fact that he was nervous about his speech in the midst of it all symbolizes the validation of self-worth that black people searched for through white people's acceptance. After rounds of fighting and humiliation, the narrator finally gets the chance to deliver his speech, even if it’s with a mouth full of blood which on the other hand can symbolize pride. During his speech, he keeps getting rudely interrupted by the white men and blurts out the word “equality”. Silence filled the room and after a few seconds, the white man asked the narrator if that was a mistake. He says yes and continues with his speech. When he is finished, he is applauded and awarded a scholarship to the state college for Negroes. The narrator is ecstatic and he goes home to tell his friends and family.
In conclusion, “The Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison uses symbolism to show to hardships African Americans faced after slavery and the struggles we faced to fight for equality. The scene of the battle royal is a symbol in itself, to never give up the fight. The narrator goes through humiliation and pain but it was a battle worth fighting for and equality is a battle worth fighting for.