LITR201-1404B-08 Literature: A Reflection of Life
Phase 2 Individual Project
December 01, 2014
‘Battle Royal’ and ‘The Birthmark’
These are two short stories that at first seem to be absolutely unrelated in composition and text. The first story ‘Battle Royal’ and the second one ‘The Birthmark’; upon reading both stories, it would be easy for someone to feel that they are about as distant from one another as two short stories could get. However, I have read and reflected on both and while they are different, they are also so very similar. The similarities, though best found by the reader and not by someone else’s summary will most probably be construed differently by each reader.
These stories are set in two entirely different eras. The Battle Royal is set in the 30s well after slavery was abolished yet while racism was strongly prevalent. It was during this time that African-Americans were fighting for equality and trying to overcome bigotry and hatred. We find our young protagonist to be one that is fighting for equality and yet accepting of what can be deemed as near torture in order to prove his perseverance. In the story The Birthmark we find the setting to be in the late 1700s, as author is writing during the 1840s and speaks in the very first sentence of Aylmer living at the end of the last century (Hawthorne, 2014, 303-316). This was a time of extremely strong faith in men of science; these same men were put on pedestals as nearly being close to gods. It is this thinking that causes Aylmer to think he can remove the birthmark and Georgiana to have the blind faith in him to allow him to try.
In Battle Royal, our young man apparently never really had much of a relationship with his grandfather, although he was there when his grandfather died (Ellison, 2014, pp. 180-191). He had been told that he takes after his grandfather, yet he never gives us an explanation as to how other than the meekness they both shared. It appears the grandfather at one time was a slave and once slavery was abolished he chose a submissive role. It may have been his belief that by taking this role he was protecting his family. As for why the author would have chosen to keep this young man’s name from the reader, it might be the fact that the young man himself lacked validation, which suggests there is some sort of symbolism in this. Through the grandfather’s dying words we can see that he felt remorse at what he considered betraying his race by submitting to the white man his entire life (Ellison, 2014, pp. 180-191).
In looking at the characters of The Birthmark, Aylmer is one of the leading men of science. He has a great love for his wife, though he holds a great sadness due to her imperfection (Hawthorne, 2014, 303-316). He is rather a shallow and judgmental person that cares only about what others may think regarding outward appearances. Georgiana in turn loves her husband and does whatever is needed to please him. Her empathy is strong so what saddens him saddens her. Lastly the man servant Aminadab, who is not much in the way of looks himself, inwardly seems to feel he could treat Georgiana in a more loving manner if she were his.
The Birthmark was written in the third person, and obviously Battle Royal is written in the first person, however if it were written in the third person I do not believe the story would be told anywhere close to the manner in which it was originally. I believe the blindfolded woman might have a bit more substance possibly, or maybe there would be more emphasis on the fight and on how certain individuals fought and why. Either way it would have been less effective in expressing its meaning.
Looking into the deeper meaning of The Battle Royal, I feel the symbolism here is that it represents the fear of not acting as one is expected to act in a world of racial inequality, and the pain that comes from the guilt of such feelings. The naked dancer really is no better than the young black men to the white men; they are all considered playthings for the amusement of the white men. To the black men she is considered like the forbidden fruit, used only to work them into a frenzy and then they channel their aggression in a blindfolded free for all boxing match (Ellison, 2014, pp. 180-191). This again is just for the entertainment of the white men since these young black men are meant as nothing but playthings.
In Georgiana’s mind her birthmark is just a reminder that she is a normal person with flaws. To her husband it is disgust; it represents an imperfection in what should be total perfection. Alchemy represents the tool that Aylmer has at his disposal to fix all that is imperfect. It is the most important thing to him, even more so than his wife.
It is quite obvious that discrimination and the hatred that goes along with it are the theme of Battle Royal; it is inevitably about the struggle for equality and preserving ones identity when the odds are against you. In The Birthmark I find that narcissism is the theme here, however in this story Aylmer learns the hard way that if you force the requirement of perfection onto another, the payment for such a requirement is the loss of the greatest treasure of all, love.
Fear most definitely plays a role in both of these stories. In Battle Royal the fear factor here was the fear of not being an equal in a world of racial inequality. It was the knowledge he was equal in all ways, however he was kept from being able to stand beside the white men. As for The Birthmark fear is much deeper in this story. I find that the fear here is the Aylmer’s fear of his own mortality. As he terms his less than handsome helper a brute, he also sees Georgiana as a brute as well and as he sees her decaying he fears the same for himself.
The comparison and contrast of the two of these stories engulf the way society views inequality as well as the way that people are different. In comparison these two stories show the struggle with discrimination that many have been subjected to throughout the ages. In contrast these two stories just show that discrimination is not discriminatory, discrimination will find itself in between races, families, and it will use vanity as well as pride and conceit to convey its power. They are stories with different content and language. They are stories that were written in different eras; yet in the end, their messages while from different points of view share a commonality. The commonality is a message of tolerance, acceptance, and respect for others.
My final thoughts on this are simply that literature opens up a whole different dialogue that enables conversation within an endless number of subjects. It allows different reactions to similar situations and gives us the opportunity to not just learn from the literature but through our interactions regarding the literature. To me there is no truer insight then that.
I myself have been subject to discrimination, while it was not of the kind that many recognize. It was not discrimination based on race, creed, color, religion, or sex. It was simply my age; I recently applied for a job that required my skill set, of which I have thirty year experience with numerous certifications. I had a phone interview, a first and then a second interview. Upon speaking with an operations director during my second interview I was introduced to another person in upper management that began looking at me curiously and then glancing down at my resume and again back up to me abruptly ended my interview, and informed I would be called with a decision. A week and a half went by and I had not heard anything. I thought for sure I had the job because of my extensive background in this field. So I decided to take a trip back to the facility where upon speaking to the receptionist I was told the position had been filled. I asked to speak to the person that was hired and was courteously pointed towards his office. As I approached his office I found a young gentleman that I could estimate to be less than thirty years of age, as a matter of fact I noticed that most all of the employees were nowhere near even forty years old. I am in fact 51 years old and there is no way that I was not qualified for this position, I have pursued and actions against this company for two simple reasons. For one it would take too long to get anywhere and two why would I want to work for a company that I now know discriminates against older people. I simply know that I am a better person and that I do not need to retaliate against ignorance, therefore I trudge on to the next interview.
References
Ellison, R. W. (2014). Literature To Go (2nd ed.). Retrieved from http://wow.coursesmart.com/9781457697159/firstsection#X2ludGVybmFsX0J2ZGVwRmxhc2hSZWFkZXI/eG1saWQ9OTc4MTQ1NzY5NzE1OS8xNzg=.
Hawthorne, N. (2014). Literature to Go (2nd ed.). Retrieved from http://wow.coursesmart.com/9781457697159/firstsection#X2ludGVybmFsX0J2ZGVwRmxhc2hSZWFkZXI/eG1saWQ9OTc4MTQ1NzY5NzE1OS8zMDI=.
