The main character in the story was the old man's grandson. He was a great public speaker who won a competition to speak at a large, private party made up of some of the top social figures in the local community. When the boy got there he saw the school superintendent, policemen, lawyers, bankers and even

the local priest. Everyone was dressed up in tuxedos, drank whiskey and ate exquisite foods. He was surprised to find out that he'd be taking part in a battle royal, composed of some of his high school peers. The idea that brutality was acceptable for a lesser race was shown in this story. The black boys were blindfolded and forced to fight each other in a boxing ring for the enjoyment of the white spectators .The school superintendent yells at the boys in the ring saying "Let me at that big nigger!" Racial slurs were constantly being hurled at the contestants. These boys were treated as just another piece of entertainment for the whites. After the battle, golden coins were thrown out onto the ground for the boys to keep. (Later these are found out to be just coins advertising a certain make of car, and not actually real currency.) An obviously demeaning and insulting deed, the attendees at the party thought that the boys were less intelligent since they were black

When he returns home, he has a dream about his grandfather. In this dream, he is having a conversation with his grandfather who tells him to open another letter within the briefcase. This letter reads, "To Whom It May Concern, Keep This Nigger-Boy Running." This symbolizes how the whites wer

Some common words found in the essay are:
Battle Royal, Nigger-Boy Running, Tuskegee University, social equality, Ralph Ellison's, battle royal, Ben Riley, stop talking, black boy, school superintendent,
Approximate Word count = 853
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)