All For Rewards

Cruel is the word that best describes the scene. Several men trying to preserve their dignity by fighting others. They are promised lots of things just to be humiliated. The main character with the idea of giving his speech is willing to take lots of pain. He will resist everything just to impress the white men because they can give him a chance. At a part, a man screams to the two final fighters that he wants the big one to win. Our character contemplates the idea of losing on purpose just to satisfy the requests from white men, because this could possibly bring to him greater prizes.

All of the fighters are trying to survive and make it through the evening so they can win some money, blindfolded, they fight each other. The worse part would be the electrified rug. What kind of person sees someone in need, and makes them suffer even more just so they can be entertained? Even though the fighters are aware of the rug, the continue to collect coins, finding techniques and trying to hide the pain by laughing. Giving the observers whatever they want to see.

Our Invisible Man, before, had a huge need of being recognized by society, he tried to please everyone he met, and followed societal standards. He went to the meeting with the intention of sharing his speech, and even after all the suffering, he stands up in front of them and pleases them, excusing himself when he mentions things that make the others mad. With a desperate need to fit in, he is being humiliated, however he looks at it as if he was doing a good thing because the white men accept him. Ignoring all the pain that he felt because of them, he thanks them and tries to become just like them.

During the fighting there are similes used to describe how the bodies of the fighters react to the punches, "A blow to my head as I danced about sent my right eye popping like a jack-in-the-box and settled my dilemma". Also, there is imagery, "blood shaping itself into a butterfly, glistening and soaking into the soiled gray world of the canvas". These literary figures show us how the fighters are really suffering, they help us understand how the fight is real and rough.