Ellison's Invisible Man

I thought it was ironic that Ellison would write about a guy that is trying to be humble and modest aka invisible, yet he get all this attention for writing this book. The grandfather seems to be a source of inspiration for the narrator. Why call this brutish fight a battle royal? He wants to give a speech about not being the hero, and contemplates that during the fight. He does not want to upset the crowds expectations, but he gets KOed as he is thinking about this, so it doesn't matter if he wanted to be the hero or not, his choice was made for him.

The naked woman was odd. Hypothesis: This event is entertainment for rich men, the woman was just foreplay to the fight. The mens reaction to the word equality was significant-thats the only thing that struck them out of the whole speech. One man says " We mean to do right by you, but you've got to know your place at all times. I can't think of many phrases that are more racist then that. The whole affair is weird because the narrator fights to earn money and then gives a speech to his employers.

Atleast he got a scholarship out of it. I guess they think he will lead his race into complacent submission, and want to encourage that.