Ralph Ellison Battle Royal Summary

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The “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison opens with the narrator looking back at his youth and remembering his invisibility and the last words of his grandfather. He recalls the time he was invited to give a speech to a group of leading white citizens (356). Upon his arrival, he was told that before giving his speech, he and his classmates were to provide the evening’s entertainment in a blindfolded boxing match (battle royal). After participating, he was able to give his speech and receive a briefcase with a scholarship to a local college. Later that night, the narrator has a dream that he is at the circus with his grandfather who orders him to open the briefcase and read the message in an envelope. As he opened the envelopes, he finds a document