Ralph Ellison's The Black Ball

In “The Black Ball” by Ralph Ellison, the narrator John goes through some difficulties with his race, raising his son, and his work. John and his son have to face life as black men and being subjected the metaphorical black ball. As the story goes on he shows his understanding of learning to live with what he goes through in life. Using the plot of the story and characterization the theme of the story can be revealed. First of all is to understand how the plot of “The Black Ball” reveals the theme. The initial main point of the plot is when John meets the man from the union, he tells John of how he got his burned hands and how he learned from that experience. The second main point is when Johns son breaks the rule and goes into the front yard to play ball and a white kid throws his ball threw the manager Berry’s window. Then Berry threatens to put john behind the black ball. The last main point is when John’s son asks about the black ball. All of the main points in the plot relates to the theme in the case of learning from problems and coping with bad situations. At the same time, the characterization also reveals the theme. There was the man from the union who had an altruistic and unswerving personality. The son had an inquisitive personality. John was discerning and paternal. The only character with a …show more content…
Each of the characters brings a crucial point to the plot, providing the theme. The characters are all well developed with easy to understand personality traits, what they all bring to the story helps the reader to get a deeper understanding of the theme. The plot is the main moments in a story; in “The Black Ball” we read how John handles the situation with his son, work and other people. Both the plot and the characterization are necessary to learn the theme and to get a better understanding of