Invisible Man

The short story "Battle Royal" is the opening chapter of Ellison's historic novel Invisible Man. It contains just as much power and drama as the world renowned novel. It opens giving you the story of a boy who is graduating from high school. He is a young African American and is an amazing oracle speaker. An all white "smokers club" invite the young man to give a speech to them about the African American's place …

…this instant. When fighting Tatlock alone in the ring, I can vividly picture the scene as, ¡°They were yelling for us to break it up and Tatlock spun me half around with a blow, and as a joggled camera sweeps in a reeling scene, I saw the howling red faces crouching tense beneath the cloud of blue-gray smoke.¡± I commend Ellison for writing, what must have been an unbelievably embarrassing scene, so truthfully and beautifully.