Battle Royal

Battle Royal is a story with a much larger meaning than it seemes at first. When the narrator shows up at the smoker he expects to give his speech and recieve his award but when he gets there he and his classmates are humiliated and forced to fight in a battle royal. The battle royal has no rules which is symbolic of society for black men during that time. Life is a struggle with no rules. The men are blindfolded by white blindfolds which symbolizes their being blinded by the white dominated society. The overall battle royal shows the struggle for black men even after slavery was abolished. There is no winner in the battle royal and everyone is hurt just like the overall treatment of blacks in white society. Nobody gains anything whether its wealth, respect, or dignity. It may seem like it at first but in the end all african-americans are decieved and nearly destroyed by the white society.