In Ralph Ellison's Battle Royal, the main character struggles with his attitude towards whites. We see him pondering his grandfather's last words, wondering if his actions are for the right reasons. It is unfortunate that Ellison published this chapter out of the context of Invisible Man, because the reader never learns what conclusions the reader comes to. While the main character is inconclusive on this issue, the author takes a definite stance. The juxtaposed results of the battle royal and the character's speech show the Ellison's favor towards the racial philosophy of Booker T. Washington.
The argument for this is simple: the men who participate in the battle royal are fooled out of any substantial reward for their work, while the main character receives, among other things, a scholarship for his speech. However, it would be improper to fail to consider not only the effects of these two events not only upon the individuals involved, but also the effects of these actions on the perceptions of those witnessing them.
The battle royal is far more injurious to the cause of social equality than the speech could ever be (except perhaps if the main character had not excused the mistake!). The white men watching the fight are not impressed. How could they be? It affirms their perceptions of the black man as a savage, a less-than-human brute whose physical strength is seen as a result of being subhuman? The beneficial effect om the participants isn't much, either; a couple of bucks is decent enough money, but not nearly enough to justify their (willing!) humiliation.
On the other hand, the speech is beneficial for all involved. The main character receives a scholarship and an expensive briefcase, rewards worth many times more than all the prize money given for the brawl combined. The main character is provided a means to advance his education and social influence, and the white men see a spectacle they have never before witnessed. While they may think that the speech is a circus act, a simple side show, it seems obvious that they respect him in some way, as evidenced by the magnitude of their gift. By giving the main character an education, they can only increase the average education level of the black populace, making these sorts of events more frequent. This sort of event would only become more prevalent, and as Booker T. Washington asserted, this will only result in increased respect for them and an expansion of rights for their race.
Does this correspond to total favor towards Washington's policies? ProbProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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ly not, because otherwise the main character would not be struggling with the consequences of his actions. His “yeses” and “grins” may be outwardly Washingtonian, but the intent is similar to W.E.B. DuBois, the goals being “death and destruction” and fighting “the good fight” (2). This seems like it would be the only reasonable attitude; while it would be ridiculous to think that a black person could harbor no resentment at all, it would be equally ridiculous to propose open rebellion against an enemy much stronger. (516)
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Alex--an interesting analysis of a story that is probably more ambiguous than we gave it credit for in class. As you point out, the fact that the speech will lead to further education creates opportunity where perhaps none existed before, but I also see the young man's pride in his speech preventing him from seeing more clearly his naivete and the fact that the men care nothing for him or his speech and only reward him to give themselves the illusion of beneficence.
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