Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

Ralph Ellison's short story, "Battle Royal", is symbolic in a myriad of different ways. In one form, the battle royal is symbolic of a struggle for equality. More specifically the battle royal is emblematic of the “battle” for egalitarianism in America’s white society by African Americans in the 1950’s; when the story was set and written. The battle royal and the narrator’s attempt to give his speech while being mocked by the white men are directly representative of the tria