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Battle Royal Trope

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Battle Royal Trope
The Battle Royal is probably one of the most analysed episodes of Invisible Man. Ellison’s description of this episode is surreal and grotesque. What makes the setting so surreal is the contrast between the young men, considered primitive and inferior, and the respectable white men, whose behaviour matches that of animals. It is an enactment of a battle between the Self and the Other, enhanced by the presence of electricity as a trope for expressing oppression, and a possibility for resistance.In this episode the protagonist is invited to give a speech and to take part in the Battle Royal, set up for the entertainment of the town’s white “big shots” (Ellison 17). The young men are brought into the room and forced to witness the performance
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