Scatology represents the narrator's path in the novel and mirrors his realizations of the corruption in black society .

Beginning and ending with his presence in a sewer, the novel traces a circular path which shows how much the narrator is not able to accomplish. His hopes of a place for himself in the world are crushed and disallusioned. Ellison's use of scatology shows the journey of the narrator as he moves from one disappointment to another. His experiences in the different corrupt orginizations enlighten him about the illusion of black status in twentieth century America. Without volition, he is alternately embraced and rejected by different organizations, as he gradually comes to realize the extent of the corruption.

Ellison presents the narrator with a manifestation of excrement at times that he finally realizes the full extent of the corruption. Ellison's use of scatology marks the narrator's rejection of a...