Ellison - King of the Bingo Game

What are the larger implications of Ellison's story? To what extent is it about the "invisibility" of black men in white America?

Ellison's "King of the Bingo Game" encompasses a variety of different implications that transform an otherwise sad short story into a political statement regarding racial injustice towards African Americans. Ellison's use of colors, slang phrases, names, irony, and his almost constant use of metaphor change otherwise meaningless sentences into poignant testimonial of disparity. This exceptional use of language, in conjunction to the hardships African American's faced at the time of the stories conception allow it to paint a picture of inequality and prejudice that insight insanity into the main character.
As the story begins Ellison's main character, the man who remains nameless is described as poor, unemployed, and so desperate to buy his wife's medicine that he is resolved to trying to win money on a bingo game. He believes that every man who lives a moral life, and works hard should be able to succeed, though it is obvious that his surroundings have failed him. His insatiable hunger is a reflection of how poor he actually is. He longs for the woman's peanuts in front of him, wishing that he still lived in the south where solidarity holds groups of people together, and where everyone experiences the same hardships and help each other. This leads the reader to believe that the man is now living in the north, but the fact that he has no birth certificate explains where he originated. He was most likely born in North Carolina, the south, slave country, and it's where he day dreams about and misses most. Slaves were not given birth certificates, and the fact that is never given a name in the story is intentional on Ellison's part. Most slaves incorporated the last names of their owners into their own, completely disregarding and forgetting their own family lineage. His trip north from his slave background to free country leaves him nameless and unemployable, yet his pursuit of the American dream of freedom for all men keeps him motivated to continue his struggle there, no matter how unequal it is. Ellison uses colors as well to ensure the reader understands who assumes power in the story. The projection machine makes a white beam, and specks of dust dance in its whiteness. Ellison writes that, "They have it all fixed, everything was fixed." It is safe to assume here that he's not speaking about the projection screen, but rather the white men that have it all fixed. The bingo game, the movie theater, it's all fixed for their gain, and he is just a pawn for their advancement. Also he writes that the man is surrounded by the darkness of the theater, consumed by it, and with the white light ahead and on stage he is alone, and lonely in the darkness, playing the game. These are all references to how invisible and alone the man is.
When he actually wins bingo the story goes from metaphor to reality. As he steps on stage the men on stage berate him with racial slurs, as does the crowd. They call him "boy," and say that "he's one of the chosen people." People yell, "Are you all-reet," and the announcer says "So you decided to come off that mountain to the U.S." All of this confuses the man because he is so consumed with the desire to win the money that he can not understand they are making fun of him. He cautiously grins, knowing that they are probably making fun of him, but he is consumed with his own anxiety.
What he does understand is that the spin is his only chance to bring life back to his only companion. The thought of losing the spin and the money makes him believe that his life will become unlivable if winning is not the outcome. He unconsciously knows that he must win, or Laura will die and he will become completely alone and helpless. As these thoughts cross his mind he pushes the button, and the process of spinning the wheel begins. Blood rushes to his head, and immediately his sense of reality disappears. The spin will determine his entire outcome, or so it seems, and the torture of knowing that becomes more than he can endure. He assumes the knowledge that he is being watched by all, and his fear of doing something wrong with the button and spinner are only compounded once the wheel begins to spin. Amazing to him he realizes that he has power over everyone in the room. He can decide when to stop the wheel, and this power urges the insanity to new heights.
He yells out, "Who am I." This is another reference to how he does not know his true African name, just as he relates that everyone in the room is a poor nameless bastard. No one in the room knows their true name. This realization though makes him feel especially invisible. For without a name he is just another invisible black face in a white world. He renames himself the "king of the bingo game", assuming his power as the king, a power he is convinced makes him invincible. This lust for power, recognition, and his own lack of meaning in his life make him unable to stop pushing the button. He is happier prolonging his temporary state of power than taking any chance that it could all end in disaster. He yells out, "Live, Laura, babe. I got holt of it now, sugar. Live!" as his final grasps on reality fall away.
The story ends with examples of irony that apply to all men in his position of life. There is the obvious irony of him winning finally as the curtain comes crashing down on his head. Beyond that though there is the irony in the knowledge that the North seemed a place where anyone was free, but even a hard work ethic and persistent struggling will not allow for him to advance. Instead it will lead to heartache, anxiety, and ultimately insanity.
Ellison's story is not about just one man. It is actually about an entire culture that even today is prejudged on skin color alone. Injustice and inequality are made to be ironic because they could so easily be switched around and used against the people who are prejudiced. Ellison seeks to show that they only way to advance is to take a chance and try, but that even with determination goals are often unattainable.