A Horrible Battle

Basil Latif
AP-1
710

“Battle Royal” is a story from the ‘50’s that takes the reader back in time. The setting of the story forces the reader to contemplate the implications of living at that time–– specifically race relations. The story depicts Southern racism in a peculiar manner: an ominous speech by the grandfather at the start, a strange congregation of elites at a brawl in the middle, and the grant of a scholarship to a black teen at the end. Ultimately, the story is able to expose the hypocrisy and brutishness of the whites at the time.

The story’s depiction of the battle alone does enough to cement the impression of extreme racism and moral degradation present at the time. At the start of the battle, the narrator provides a telling description, “I was shocked to see some of the most important men of the town quite tipsy. There were all there––bankers, lawyers, judges, doctors, fire chiefs, teachers, merchants. Even one of the more fashionable pastors” (¶6). The consumption of alcohol by some prominent, respectable professions, most importantly the pastor, seems to be problematic. Specifically, if the pastor of a town is engaging in the same lowly behavior as the non-clergy, there seems to be an even greater problem. The situation gets worse. The reader then learns of the presence of a naked blond dancing for the men. The aforementioned analysis applies equally here, except, perhaps, to a greater degree. Being drunk is borderline irresponsible but watching a naked, young woman dance could be considered morally irreprehensible. The reader is provided with a description of a man here, “I noticed a merchant who followed her hungrily, his lips loose and drooling” (¶9). There is little that needs to be said about this; however, it is interesting that all of this transpires under the watchful eye of a pastor! Of course, what follows is only worse. The men excitedly watch the boys fight each other. The commentary here is priceless, “The men kept yelling, ‘Slug him, black boy! Knock his guts out!’ ‘Uppercut him! Kill him! Kill that big boy!’” (¶23-4). Finally, the boys are ‘rewarded’ by having the opportunity to battle over gold coins spread out over the floor. Later, the reader discovers the truth, “ I was overjoyed; I did not even mind when I discovered the gold pieces I had scrambled for were brass pocket tokens advertising a certain make of automobile” (¶103). The white men are cruel enough to deceive the boys to think that they are being rewarded for their blood with money that is ultimately fake. The end of the evening follows a similar pattern.

The scholarship given to the narrator should be considered an empty victory. The manner in which the protagonist is treated betrays the whites’ true intentions. Before his speech, the narrator is in awful condition, “I was limp as a dish rag. My back felt as though it had been beaten with wires” (¶59). Surely, the correct manner to treat an honored speaker, even then, is not to have him fight to the death before his speech. However, this is exactly what happens. Then, as soon as the exhausted narrator starts speaking, the crowd shouts “louder.” As the speech progresses, the protagonist has a little trouble. Then: “the room filled with the uproar of laughter until, no doubt, distracted by having to gulp down my blood, I made a mistake and yelled a phrase I had often seen denounced in newspaper editorials, heard debated in private” (¶79). The negative reaction to the word “equality” shows the true feelings of the men. They do not care about this gifted negro boy. His scholarship should be viewed with contempt. The scholarship does not seem to stem from an appreciation of his skin color, rather an acknowledgment of it. After all, it is only a scholarship to a negro college.

Although the South may not have actually been this way, Ellison sure seems to encourage his reader to hold that opinion in this story. The value of reading a story from a previous time is apparent after reading “Battle Royal.” Now, the reader can appreciate the progress that has been made to break down racism “brick by brick, stone by stone.”