The Tone and Style of Ralph Ellisons Battle Royal Essay

A short analysis of the major theme found in Ellison’s Battle Royal, supported by a literary criticism dealing with the tone and style of the story. Introduction: Ralph Ellison’s short story, Battle Royal, is mainly an account of the African American struggle for equality and identity. The narrator of the story is an above average youth of the African American community [Goldstein-Shirlet, 1999]. He is given an opportunity to give a speech to some of the more prestigious white individuals. His expectations of being received in a positive and normal environment are drastically dashed when he is faced with the severity of the process he must deal with in order to accomplish his task. Analysis: The recurrent theme of Battle Royal is†¦show more content†¦Many history altering events took place during this continuing struggle. More symbolism appears during the fight when the nature of the audience changes for the worse. Through his description of whites from a high social standing watching the battle of ten blacks in a ring, Ellison shows the attitude and approach those in charge of running system have towards ethnic minorities – in this case, African Americans. As the battle intensifies, the enthralled audience become more engrossed and began foul mouthing the fighters in their animalistic frenzy. The total disregard for human dignity shown by this reaction is a prime example of the stance of superiority assumed by the ruling majorities over minorities. The main theme of Battle Royal occurs again with the incident of the electrified rug. After the battle has ended, the boys are allowed to pick bills and coins off of a rug. As they try to take the money off the rug, they are jolted with electricity. Even though the pain factor involved in picking the cash off the rug is very high, the boys force themselves to carry on. This brilliantly captures the economic hardship faced by the black community and the negative effect of this hardship on social harmony. Once more, a theme of suppressed dignity emerges. It shows that even after their biggest fight for respect ended, African Americans were forced to endure racism and prejudice in otherShow MoreRelatedThe Struggle for Equality and Identity in Ralph Ellisons Battle Royal915 Words   |  4 PagesRalph Ellison’s short story, Battle Royal, is mainly a description of the African American struggle for equality and identity. The narrator of the story is an above average youth of the Af rican American community [Goldstein-Shirlet, 1999]. He is given an opportunity to give a speech to some of the more prestigious white individuals. His expectations of being received in a positive and normal environment are drastically dashed when he is faced with the severity of the process he must deal with inRead MoreLiterature And The English Literature Essay1537 Words   |  7 Pageswritten novel or short-story, to truly appreciate the purpose and importance of it all. When you are reading a novel can you easily depict who the author has designed to be the protagonist or the antagonist? Can you accurately describe the setting or tone of the story or poem? Do you easily fall in love with the narrator or speaker of every book or poem you have read? The answers to these questions simply make up some of the most common elements identified in literature. They are the things that oneRead MoreLangston Hughes Research Paper25309 Words   |  102 Pageson their intuition and personal experience to express truths about life. During his senior year at Central High, Langston met a pretty girl named Sue at a dance. His poem about her later became famous. Previously, his poems had lacked any racial tone. This poem, When Sue Wears Red, praises the beauty of a black girl, using rhythms and responses that he had heard in church. He compared her face to a cameo and her walk to that of a regal queen of Egypt. He described his physical and emotional reaction