Ceaser
Katrina Ceaser
Professor Darius Frasure, MFA, MA
English 1302-65003
18 June 2014
Racial Equality
Dreams can be realized but at what cost. Even though African Americans gained their
freedom, during this time; they were still being treated unequally. In order to get a glance at the
American dream African Americans had to fight society’s views of them, their peers also they had
to hold back their true thoughts of the upper-class man. Even after the civil right movement, the
discrimination of the black people still existed in the South. Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal”
characterizes cultural issues affecting the African-American community. His brutal description of
the scene that took place speaks to the horrors of pre-civil rights for African Americans. Ellison’s
story portrays a young African-American man trying to conform and gain acceptance in the
America he lives in. The story is about an educated young black man who gets himself involved in
a battle, which takes place in front of all the elite men in town.
The invisible man gave a well-received speech at graduation because of that he was invited
to recite his speech at a gathering of the elite society. The most interesting part of this story is the
internal battle that the protagonist is having in his mind. He keeps remembering his grandfather’s
words “I have been a traitor all my born days” (Ellison 155). It is also very important to note that
the protagonist claims that he is very much like his grandfather. Meaning he behaved in the manner
that Caucasians community thought a good and proper black man should present himself. He was
respectful, educated and even wrote a speech about the black mans “humility.” However, he
wonders why his grandfather labels himself as a traitor. His grandfather’s last word to his family
was “Live with your head in the lion’s mouth” (Ellison 155). His advice according to African-
American Literature: Ellison’s `Battle Royal‘ was a strategy for survival in that era of time. The
Ceaser
character puts on a mask and is praised by the elite American society for being “an example of
desirable conduct” (Ellison 155). The invisible man thought of himself as potential Booker T.
Washington a trend setter that will be accepted in the upper-class community. According to the
“Battle Royal or the Invisible Man,” the reason why he sees his self as a potential Booker T.
Washington was because of his ambition to be great and have people look up to him. The speech
will bring about change, and it will emerge his identity and a place in society. His views are
different from his actions, and he counts on that to gain acceptance in the elite circle of Caucasian,
so he thinks.
While invited to give his speech, he was “persuaded” (he really had no choice) to participate
in a battle royal for the entertainment of the drunk crowd. The character joins nine school mates in
the battle who were dissatisfied with him because he took the place of another school mate. There
was no difference on how they were treated, but the invisible man still “felt superior to them”
