The Battle Royal

Self-Growth in "Battle Royal"

While conflict is often painful, it can sometimes lead to growth that would otherwise never occur. Ralph Ellison's short story, "Battle Royal," demonstrates how individuals can grow and develop through conflicts or battles. The narrator in this story experiences two kinds of struggles that lead to his development. One is an inner conflict and the other is a social conflict. In both instances, the narrator must face certain aspects about himself in order to grow. "Battle Royal" depicts one man's journey toward self-enlightenment.

The narrator in the story knows that he is on a journey to discover, or find, something as he admits early in the story that he all of his life, he was "looking for something, and every were that I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction" (Ellison 196). This statement allows us o see that the narrator lacks the confidence he needs to develop his own opinions. As a result, he is easily influenced by others but this habit only seems to cause him discomfort and set him back on his journey. When he realizes that listening to others might not always be productive, he is making his first steps toward discovery. This internal struggle is important to his development because one influence in his life was his grandfather's memory. His last words to the narrator were a "constant puzzle, which lay unanswered in the back of my mind" (170). In addition, the internal struggle of being an African-American affects the narrator. He does little about oppression and this becomes problematic. For instance, during his speech, he promotes humility but later admits that he did not think it actually worked. (197) He does not follow his grandfather's advise and continues to live the way most African-Americans do even though he knows passivity will get him nowhere. This is an example of the narrator's inner conflict.

The narrator experiences social struggles that also force him to realize certain things about himself. Much of the conflicts that African-Americans face comes from within their own communities. The white men in this tale understood that a certain group cannot succeed if they are constantly fighting among themselves. The narrator is not alone in this for he shares the experience with all of the other African-Americans he encounters. They failed at being aggressive for standing up for what they believed in. This is an important lesson because it is sometimes difficult to stand up for what is right but not standing up only means that things will never change. The discomfort of knowing that the only way change will occur is through oneself is powerful but it must be faced with courage and resolve to be effective.