Prejudice And Racism In Ralph Ellison's Battle Royal

Slavery might end with the signing of a piece of paper, but ending racism is something different entirely. Growing up in the south as a black man surrounded by passive racism and backhanded comments, is a disastrous force to constantly push on a developing mind. “Battle Royal” is about a young black man following in what he thought was his grandfather’s footsteps. Until on his deathbed his grandfather admits the truth. He calls himself a traitor and a spy; in reference to all the kind deeds and smiles he has been giving out his entire life. This young man has been mirroring his grandfather’s actions but completely missing the meanings behind them. To confront subconscious internal conflicts within ones self, a young black man must go against his inherent reactions to his surroundings and think about the true reasons behind his actions.
He starts thinking, about life, his future, what to do and what there is to do. He starts asking questions, asking everyone he knows. Some answers are good and some are bad, some contradict others and some contradict themselves, but he accepts them all. After all something is better than nothing right? He assumes everyone else has it figured out but him. Without much to build off of along with his grandfather’s seemingly contradictory statement about life, it was difficult to understand it all. Starting out at step one and using advice that was a product of years and years of profound thought coming from a fully developed brain, is almost an impossible task. But anything worth doing is never