Blindly, this nation's black population fought, not always knowing what for, just as the boys in this story fight. The segregation of schools, restaurants, and other public facilities were issues that were fiercely fought over.
These battles are directly represented by the barbarous fighting by 10 boys in a ring, being witnessed by whites in high social standing. Totally engrossed by the fighting these men yelled cruel things and become frenzied. This is representative of the how our nation's white population treated African Americans for many years. Often they took a stance of authority, feeling superior to the black minorities. This belief is portrayed by the men's angered actions toward the boys. The electrified rug is an important piece in this story. The boys are given the opportunity to take bills and coins off of a rug, after the battle royal has been completed. As they grab for the money they receive jolts of electricity from the rug. The boys find it extremely hard not to reach for the money even though they will go through much pain in doing so. These activities again represent the African American's struggle for equality. Even though segregation became an eventual realization the blacks had to suffer much. Blacks attending schools with whites still had to endure racial prejudices and misjudgments by much of the population. The boys in "Battle Royal" were given the opportunity to get money, but they had to endure the physical pain of being electrocuted in the process. The white men again are amused by these activities just as men throughout the years were amused by the activities of African American's. The blacks were given things but with a price attached to it just as the boys were. .
The town's "leading white people" loved the speech and asked him to deliver it at a local hotel in the ballroom. This starts a "revolution" in the narrator's life. The people at the hotel make the narrator feel very uncomfortable.