I believe the story by Ellison is a good depiction of the Jim Crow era; through symbolism, the story seeks to depict how African Americans are struggling to overcome racial inequality. In essence, racism was a harsh reality for the black community where it served as tool to promote savagery and keep people down. These aspects characterized the Jim Crow era when racism as a powerful tool used by the majority white against the African Americans. The author understands the Jim Crow era; Ellison, a writer, has experienced trials and tribulations as a young African American. Therefore, he lived through the era when racial segregation gripped American life; laws were established to prevent blacks from voting (Ellison 228). Basically, the blacks were separate and unequal to their white counterparts; Ellison was one of the people who overcame the relentless struggles of this era.
Arguably, the advice of the narrator’s grandfather serves as a guideline for the narrator in terms of his actions. From his perspective, the narrator’s grandfather considers himself a traitor for believing in what the white says. As such, he advices the narrator to act as if he agrees with the white, but retain his resentment for them internally. However, the ambiguity of the grandfather’s words makes it difficult to establish whether the advice is a warning or an inspiration to the narrator. Essentially, the advice given by the narrator’s grandfather is both a warning and an inspiration; as a warning not to be blinded by what the white says and as an inspiration to guide the narrator in his effort to combat inequality (Ellison 938). Evidently, following his grandfather’s advice enables the narrator to become invincible to attacks by the whites; however, this invisibility makes him lose his identity, an aspect that leads to stagnation as he is confined in it.
Work Cited
Ellison, Ralph. "Battle royal." The compact Bedford introduction to literature (3rd ed., pp. 286-
295). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.(Original work published 1947)
(1994).
