More Than A Battle

One would think, that if you were to be humiliated as much as the narrator was in "Battle Royal," you would just leave the boxing ring and get out of the building too get away from this intimidating crowd. If the narrator had left, he would not have been able to give his speech to the white folks, proving that he and other African American people can be just as smart as white people. The narrator is not necessarily revolting against these people, although he does have a slip about social equality, which he quickly corrects. The narrIn Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal," the narrator is fighting for more than just money and the prize of being the last man in the ring. This young African American man, while being humiliated in front of this snobby, obnoxious, degrading, and at times horrifying crowd, constantly thinks about whether or not he will be able to deliver his electrifying speech to this rowdy crowd of racist white upperclass men. Even while he takes blows and jabs from his massive opponent in the one versus one battle, he constantly thinks about just being able to give his speech. After hearing the final words of his grandpa, the narrator is slightly confused about how he should act towards white people, but he wants to prove that African Americans are capable of doing everything whites can do.
ator most likely wanted to say "social equality" deep down inside, even though he did not want to do it in order to upset the rowdy white crowd. After giving this speech, the narrator is rewarded with a scholarship to an all black school and given a very nice briefcase. Now the narrator thinks he has finally overcome the final words of his grandpa, but this is not true.
The narrator feels as if he has overcome the last words of his grandpa, which seemed very scarring at first. Once these words are seemingly overcome, the narrator sees a bright future where maybe "social equality" will occur one day thanks to himself and other great black people. When he hears his grandpa laughing in his dreams, things change, and a bright future does not look apparent to the narrator. Now he does not know which words of his grandpa's to listen to, or whether or not he will ever break through in having social equality.