Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison

Battle Royal "Battle Royal," by Ralph Ellison, is a very confusing theme to interpret and comprehend. A black man is trapped in a world of cruelty with nobody to guide him. He is being torn apart in two paths by the advice of his grandfather and by the wishes of the white man, which he longs to please. While attempting to satisfy their wishes, he forgets what is most important and that he is his …

…was as though he had not died at all..." (Ellison 449). This is a very true statement. The advice that he gave to the young boy stayed with him for a long time, and in the end guided him to an understanding of the ways of society. The grandfather had his greatest effect on the narrator after he was dead, so it was as if he never died at all because his "good fight" carried on.