Originally published as a short story, "Battle Royal" would eventually become the first chapter of Ralph Ellison's critically acclaimed novel Invisible Man. "Battle Royal" is the story of a young black man who is invited to deliver his much lauded graduation speech to a gathering of prominent white citizens.

The unnamed narrator begins with a confession: For twenty years he has allowed himself to be defined by other people's expectations. While he has since come to realize the folly of this thinking, the process of change has been slow and painful. This change began, he reveals, with the discovery that he is an "invisible man."

The narrator presents himself as the product of his enslaved ancestors, now regretting the shame he once held for this heritage. While his parents subscribe to the "separate-but-equal" paradigm, the narrator's grandfather reveals on his deathbed...