Summary of Ellison's Short Story "Battle Royal"
The Opening Chapter to the Classic American Novel Invisible Man
Jul 27, 2009
In Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal,” (from the book Invisible Man, Random House, ISBN: 9780679601395, 1952) the narrator is thinking back to before he knew he was an “invisible man,” meaning the freed slaves of the past, his relatives who believed that they were separate but equal after the Civil War.
He recalls when his grandfather was on his deathbed, speaking with the narrator’s father about the guilt and shame he has from being a traitor to his race. He urged the narrator’s father to kill the white man with kindness, and the advice has followed the family all the way down to the meek narrator. This theme of identity and individuality in the black American runs deep throughout the entire Invisible Man novel, and is exemplified to perfection in “Battle Royal,” the opening chapter to the book.
The Fight
After his grandfather died, the narrator was invited to give his graduation speech at a meeting of his small Southern town’s upper-class white people. The speech was similar to his grandfather’s advice, urging his race to advance through humility and submission. Such a suggestion gained him popularity with the white community, leading to his invitation to their meeting.
When he arrived, he was “persuaded” (he really had no choice) to take place in a fight for the entertainment of the drunk crowd. Before the fight, a naked, blonde, white woman dances around them with an American flag painted on her stomach. Some of the boys are hesitant to look, which raises the ire of the crowd. He was then blindfolded and forced to fight nine of his blindfolded classmates—all of them black—until there were only two standing.
The narrator makes it to the final two, but after trying to bribe the other guy in the fight just so he can give his speech, he loses. As payment, all the contestants are led to a rug with bills and coins. They jump on the rug, which is electrified, while trying to get their payment. After everything is all over, the narrator asks to give his speech.
The Speech
The narrator delivers his speech, swallowing blood the entire time. The crowd laughs and ignores him throughout the speech, only pausing to criticize him when he mentions equality. After his speech on humility, he was presented with a calfskin briefcase. Inside was a scholarship to the local Negro college.
The story ends with a framing device that has the narrator dreaming that he is at the circus with his grandfather, who refuses to laugh at the clowns. When his grandfather tells him to open the briefcase and read the letter in the envelope, the narrator finds another envelope. In the last envelope, there is a document that just says, “To Whom It May Concern: Keep This Nigger-Boy Running.” His wakes up to the sound of his grandfather laughing.
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