Ralph Ellison's short story Battle Royal is primarily a depiction of the struggle of African Americans for equality and identity. The narrator of the story is an above-average young person from the African-American community [Goldstein-Shirlet, 1999]. He has the opportunity to give a speech to some of the most prestigious white figures. His expectations of being received into a positive and normal environment are significantly disappointed when he is confronted with the gravity of the process he must face to accomplish his task. The recurring theme of Battle Royal is that of fighting for your rights against all odds. Examples of this struggle are found throughout history. Ellison highlights the immensity of the problems facing the African-American community in asserting itself. This is due to the extreme nature of the incidents depicted in the Battle Royal. A brief analysis of the major theme of Ellison's Battle Royal, supported by literary criticism focusing on the tone and style of the story. First, the boys are taken to a room where a naked woman is dancing. When the boys turn their heads away, they are yelled at for not looking. The tone of the reprimand implies that blacks were not entitled to most of the "good" things that whites could give them and that they were not really good enough for them. The boys then compete in the Battle Royal. This classic example of symbolism shows the fight that African Americans waged over time against an unjust system and how it was necessary to persevere and demonstrate courage even when hope diminished. The boys fought violently. It can perhaps also represent, in a small part, the extent to which the harmony of a close-knit community can be disrupted and damaged...... middle of paper...... in a way unique. Through his use of the extreme tasks subjected to the blacks in his story, he manages to convey the intensity of their fight against cruelty and all its complications [Carlson, 2000]. His story deals with the theme of fighting racism and as such is an attack on racism in general, wherever it manifests itself. When a human being is underestimated because of their race, as is the case with characters in Battle Royal, it is a shame for all humanity; Ellison's story tells of the great need to combat this evil at all times and under all conditions. Works Cited Ellison, Ralph. The Invisible Man, 1952. Goldstein-Shirlet, David. "Review: Cultural Contexts for Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man". Eric J. Sundquist.1999Carlson, Eric. Essay on the invisible man. 2000. http://www.4essays.com/essays/THE_INVI.HTM