Battle Royal | Battle Royal

At a glance:

Author: Ralph Ellison
First Published: 1947
Type of Plot: Social realism
Time of Work: 1947 and the late 1920's
Setting: Unnamed rural area in the American South
Principal Characters: The narrator, His grandfather, The school superintendent, Tatlock
Genres: Social realism, Short fiction
Subjects: African Americans, Social action, Memory, Racism, Betrayal, Friendship, Equality, Boxing, Guerrillas or guerrilla warfare, Speeches, High schools or high school students
Locales: South (U.S.)

The Story

The story consists of a frame in which the mature narrator remembers the advice that his dying grandfather gave to his son (the narrator's father) and his remembrance of a cruel betrayal that confirms the grandfather's advice.

The grandfather tells his son to “keep up the good fight,” to continue the black people's war by guerrilla tactics, to be a traitor and spy in the enemy's country as he himself has been. He tells his son: “Live with your head in the lion's mouth. I want you to overcome ’em with yeses, undermine ’em with grins, agree ’em to...

Battle Royal | Battle Royal

At a glance:

The Story

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