Just because you have achieved freedom does not mean that you have achieved complete equality. The Civil War ended slavery, however, it did not end racial discrimination because blacks and whites were still segregated. The story “Battle Royal,” by Ralph Ellison, is about a young black man who must overcome racial inequalities. The narrator became anxious after the words his grandfather spoke on his deathbed. He spoke bitterly to the narrator's father, comparing the lives of black Americans to war and noting that he himself felt like a traitor. Instead of food and hate, kill white men with kindness and love. Over the course of the novel, the narrator finds himself traversing a series of communities where each microcosm holds a different idea of ​​how black people should behave in society. Battle Royal talks about many important issues that African Americans faced such as individuality, morals, and self-esteem. All my life I've been looking for something and everywhere I turn someone is trying to tell me what it is. I accepted their answers too, even though they were often contradictory and even self-contradictory. I was naive. I looked for myself and asked everyone but me questions that I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and a painful boomerang of my expectations to reach a realization that everyone else seems to be born with: that I am nothing but myself. But first I had to discover that I am an invisible man! (Ellison 361) There were multiple occasions where the narrator refers to himself as invisible. The translation is that the world is full of blind people who cannot or will not see his true nature because of the color of his skin. This quote relates to many people today because of the cruel world...... middle of paper ......llison 371). This basically symbolizes the American Dream for African Americans. It is traced back to the times of slavery that his grandfather had to endure. But unlike slaves, who are often forced to flee for their lives, the narrator takes up running and is kept running by others who seem to have no real impact on his life. Throughout the story he never truly finds "himself". There was a great deal of symbolism and irony in Battle Royale. He went through many trials to get to where he was at the end of the story. The narrator begins to do what others expect of him, without considering his motivations, establishing his own value system, or visualizing the possible consequences of his actions. His propensity to act without thinking and accept the judgments of others without questioning prevents him from discovering his true self.