Institution of Racism

     Imagine going somewhere to give a speech, then being dragged into a last man standing boxing match for the entertainment of the higher ups of the town. For the unknown narrator in Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal" this was his reality. "Battle Royal" shows the struggle of black people during the era when racism was an everyday occurrence. It presents the battle between black people and racism and the oppression of their culture.

    First and foremost, one of the biggest things "Battle Royal" illustrates is the oppression of African American culture and traditions by not including or mentioning any parts of the culture or any traditions. Lois Tyson in her textbook, Using Critical Theory, mentions that one of the biggest parts of African American literature is the inclusion of culture and traditions, like oral history, music, and folk crafts to name a few (Tyson 225). The fact that "Battle Royal" is missing these key pieces of what makes up African American literature is interesting, since other works have these pieces. "Battle Royal" does not include these elements for a very important reason, to demonstrate of the African American culture gets oppressed in a world dominated by white people. They oppress and destroy the black culture, causing it to not really be seen, especially when having black people fight each other for their entertainment and amusement. The absence of African American culture and traditions represents the oppression and racism shown by the white people of the time.

    Next, another big subject in "Battle Royal" is the institutionalized racism that goes throughout the chapter. Throughout the chapter, the white people call the black boys many harsh things. Things like "'Let me at that big nigger!'" (Ellison 338), "'Let me at those black sonsabitches!'" (Ellison 338), and "'Tear him from limb to limb"' (Ellison 338) all show how the white people do not see the black people as people, they see them as these horrible beings. In addition to the names and words, Morris Dickstein says in his book that, "The good white citizens who organize the 'battle royal' are lechers and sadists, treating the black boys like gladiators in a Roman arena" (Dickstein 41).

Ancient Rome Gladiator Training

The white people organizing and having these men fight is another example of how they do not view black people as equals. They view the black people as a source of entertainment. Later when the narrator is trying to give his speech to the white men, he remarks that, "still they talked and still they laughed, as though deaf with cotton in dirty ears" (Ellison 343). Even after everything he has been through, and the fact that he came there to deliver his speech, not participate in the battle royal, the white men carry on like he is not giving a speech. Every action made by the white men demonstrate how racism is built into society in this point in time.

    Furthermore, Mayfield explains in her piece how, "African American's were made to feel their skin, culture and way of life are inferior to that of the white man" (Mayfield para. 2). She then goes on to discuss how the men are blindfolded and forced to participate in this fight, and how they are "stripped of their dignity and treated like animals" (Mayfield para. 3). Just more evidence to show how the white men do not view the black people as being on their level and how they treat them inhumanly. All of the white men's actions show how racism is a part of life during this time period. 

Men Fighting

    In addition to institutionalized racism, the ideas of internalized racism and double consciousness are illustrated in the chapter. In his piece, Richard Kostelanetz brings up how the narrator at first tried to move away from the other competitors, but eventually ends up participating fully to please the white men (Kostelanetz 8). The narrator participating shows how he has tried to fit into the white man's world because he feels as though he belongs to their culture as well as his own. His double consciousness prevents him from fully standing up for what he feels and wants because it stops himself from fully understanding what he wants, since he feels like he wants the approval of the white men.

    Furthermore, the idea of internalized racism can be seen from the black men fighting. They are fighting each other because the white men have pitted them against each other. The white men have done this to direct the anger that the black men have at them towards each other. This creates a sense in the black men's minds that they are angry and hate each other. For example, during the fight the narrator ends up being part of the final two and has this interaction with the other guy, Tatlock,

    "'I'll break your behind,"' he whispered hoarsely.

    "'For them?'"

    "'For me, sonofabitch!"' (Ellison 340).

The interaction shows how the white men have created a sense of internalized racism in the black community, causing them to feel a sense of anger towards each other, not the white men who put them in their situations.

    Ellison's "Battle Royal" is a clear indication of how black people were treated. His work brings to light the injustices caused by the white men in regard to the black people's lives, culture, and traditions. While forcing black people to fight in a 'battle royal' does not happen anymore, the racism is still alive in today's society. People are still made to feel that they are inferior and not on the level as others. "Battle Royal" illustrates the effects racism has, and shows readers its impacts, causing readers to look at the world around them and hopefully getting them to stand against injustices brought upon others because of racism.

Beerdom, Mark. "Ancient Rome Gladiator Training." Pinterest, 2023, pinterest.co.uk.

Dickstein, Morris. Ralph Ellison, Race, and American Culture.

Ellison, Ralph. "Battle Royal." edited by Lois Tyson, Routledge, 2021, pp. 335-345.

Kostelanetz, Richard. "The politics of Ellison's Booker: 'Invisible Man' as symbolic history." Chicago Review, vol. 19, no. 2, 1967, pp. 5-26. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/25294090. Accessed 16 March 2024.

Njung'e, Caroline. "Horror of watching brutal fist fight between two men". Nation, 26 November 2016, nation.africa. 

Tyson, Lois. Using Critical Theory. Routledge, 2021.