The Battle Royal Ralph Ellison Analysis

Aderoju Shoyombo
Dr. Fischer
English 150
7 March 2015

The Struggle in Society

The Naturalism period is known for arising at the end of the 19th century. During this period,

novelist focused on ways that the protagonists were caught up and beating down by life focus

larger than themselves such as social realities and Nature. In doing so, They expressed the

unfairness in society, by showing the real conflict through their main characters. In both The

Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison and The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara, The authors summarize

the unfairness and the struggles of life in America. These narrators picture this place where the

rich and poor, black and white

African American men wrestling where white powerful leader entertainment.

Ralph Ellison and Toni Cade Bambara come down on American society by stating that America

is filled with racism in the communities and lack of education for young African American

children.

The Battle Royal is narrated by African American men named as the Invisible Man. He’s

struggling for his own identity. The protagonist takes his grandfather word as a curse, when he

stated “Life is a war and I have been a traitor all my born day” (230). He had to appear in the

battle royal just to give his speech. The protagonist didn’t know he had to fight before he gave to

his speech but he did & although he lost. The narrator find himself learning that the battle royal

was about the struggle of survival, because he still believe in Booker T. Washington that is

African American can reach their goals successful through education and determination. At the

end, The protagonist didn’t see his grandfather words as a curse but more as a guidance to life

and through the right path.

The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara is also sets in America. It deal with African American

children lacking in education, but are learning the important of life through their teacher

The narrator mention “Where below the small American flag tattooed

upon her belly” (233). This represent the American dream of equality and freedom, that

symbolizes the American flag and The car advertising token is also symbolizes as the pursuit of

money and power. The dual of life lived by Toni Cade Bambara has brought home this point even more

forcefully, that the struggles between rich and poor in American society. In The Lesson, the

narrator takes the children inside the toy store, even though they couldn’t afford toys. She still

brought them inside to show them they have as more rights as the rich people. The metaphor of

the Toy store and Catholic church both represents the life of spectacular only experienced by rich

people. This shows the life that these African American were never reward with. The children

feared entering the toy store which symbolizes life of capital.

In regard to The Battle Royal, the narrator dream symbolizes the tale of the American

dream, holding that America can accomplish their goals, only if they are willing to work