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First it was the croppers, and when they got to know me and made it too hot, I quit the country and came to town. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. `You been working here long?` he asked, leaning against the column with his elbow. He stood there watching, and I could feel his eyes in my back as I polished the brass. But actually, the stranger is an organizer with a local union. I had rushed through the early part of the day mopping the lobby, placing fresh sand in the tall green jars, sweeping and dusting the halls, and emptying the trash to be burned later on in the day into the incinerator. Your damn unions are like everything else in the country for whites only. The inclusion of the four-year-old son especially brings to light just howcruelly persisting and unjust the society is. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. It is also interesting to note thatdespite this experience,the Union man does make quite a fewinsensitive remarks towards John: Fellow like me offering a fellow like you something besides a rope. Hes worried his job might be stolen, and continues to answer curtly, attempting to hide his annoyance. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Instant PDF downloads. This was the language casually used at the time, sometimes without direct ill-intent (as seen throughout Hucks narration in Mark Twains. PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Chapters 3-4 - CliffsNotes Ralph Ellison, who was named after the writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, was born in Oklahoma City. Boy on a Train and Hymies Bull are both set primarily on moving trains, which represent a core but elusive American ideal: the promise that migration can bring freedom and a better life. `But,` he said, `Ive got something really worth a lot; that is, if youre interested.` They did that to him and this to me, and both of us was fifty miles away.`. She called something to the child and pointed back in the direction of the garages where he had just come from. In spite of myself, he says, I had to smile. A barrier has been broken and it is noticeable that Johns previous formal No thank you changes to No thanks. Their nurse, dressed completely in white except for her dark glasses, which I saw when she raised her head, sat still as a picture, bent over a book on her knees. The theme ofstruggle for equalityis brought out in Johns constant striving to better his position and ensure a brighter future for his son. Parker agrees, but he wonders whether Catti is playing some kind of trick on him. There were three older boys sitting talking on a pile of old packing cases. `Oh, Im trucking.` Between his work ethic and his comment about what it means to be American, he appears to believe that working hard to win white peoples trust provides his best chances of advancement in a racist society. He also realizes that white people have never treated him so well in his whole life, and he wishes he didnt have to return home to the U.S. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. His father died in an industrial accident when he was a young boy, so his mother took him and his brother to Gary, Indiana, where she thought they would find better opportunities. The Black Ball collects four of Ralph Ellison's little-known early short stories. It shows children playing togetherin a group-something Johns own son cannot do. Itll mean shorter ours and higher wages, and better conditions in general.` He was lean and red in the face with that redness that comes from a long diet of certain foods. On his lunch break, John eats with his son, who plays with a toy truck and says that he wants to be a truck driver. John replies that he is not black, but brown- and either way, it is mostimportant to be American. The Black Ball By Ralph Ellison Analysis - 782 Words | 123 Help Me He doesnt understand why white people are so hostile to his family, but he suspects it has something to do with their color. Struggling with distance learning? Anonymous "The Black Ball Symbols, Allegory and Motifs". This is a promising alternative to his current plan: to work hard and hope that his boss shows him mercy. Not only does it stand for the ball that Johns son plays with, which despite being more of a white ball is used as a racial slur by Berry, it also refers to the game of racism that the kid is unknowingly a part of.