The Not So American Dream In Ralph Ellison's Battle Royal

The Not So American Dream “This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened … It ought to to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color.” — John F. Kennedy. In his short story “Battle Royal”, Ralph Ellison depicts the struggles an African-American male goes through, in a world dominated by Caucasian men, while trying to succeed in life. The narrator completes challenges, created by the white overseers, to achieve his goal of reciting his speech. This is a representation of the hardships blacks endure for their social equality. Ellison utilizes an unclothed blonde as a symbol of the desires wanted by black men and how they are viewed in a white society. The black man, just like the dancer, is referred to as an object of entertainment to the white watchers. “A sea of faces, some hostile, some amused, ringed around us, and in the center, facing us, stood a magnificent blonde.” (Ellison 228) The Caucasian crowd does not see a black human in the ring, but rather an entity for their pure enjoyment. This is

America is the place of freedom and where all men are created equal. Unfortunately, the blonde and the black male are not treated as such at the Battle Royal. The African American narrator is considered an oppressed minority to the white man. “You sure that about ‘equality” was a mistake?” (234) Is the question that was asked when the narrator accidentally said the words ‘social equality’ during his speech. This upset the white men and they “shouted hostile phrases” (234) at the boy. The discomfort expressed from the crowd when the black male uttered those two words gives insight as how a black man is not allowed to be accepted as equal in their