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Ralph Ellison, in his novel Invisible Man, creates a character and shows how his alienation reveals the surrounding society’s assumptions and moral values. This character, who remains unnamed during the novel, was alienated from society throughout his whole life. Two excellent examples of this alienation are the Battle Royale scene and the narrator’s brief experience with college. The author uses these examples to teach us that it is not easy to conquer the racist ideals that certain people grow up with, no matter how well-intentioned these people are. One experience of alienation from society experienced by the narrator was the Battle Royale after his high school graduation. To begin the festivities, four black people including the invisible man were blindfolded and put into a boxing ring. Then, under the pressure of the large jeering white crowd, the four students proceeded to pummel each other relentlessly. Unfortunately for the narrator, the fun did not end at that point. The narrator and the other black students were then led to a carpet with many shinny gold coins.
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