What is the theme, setting, and plot in "A Party Down at the Square" by Ralph Ellison?

”A Party Down at the Square” by Ralph Ellison is a
well-written, interesting story.  The subject of the story creates an atmosphere of
disgust and misery. The burning up of a black man in the middle of the town square, the
reactions of the townspeople, and the use of the word “nigger” over and over haunt the
reader of the story.

The setting of the
story is an unknown small town in Alabama sometime in the mid twentieth
century. The narration is first person point of view with a white boy from Cincinnati.
 

There are really only three characters that the reader
becomes involved with as the story
progresses.

The uncle finds
nothing wrong with the scene. In fact, he tells the boy that he will get used to the
event.  Three nights after the initial killing of the black man, the townspeople burn
another black man.  The uncle states that usually two of them have to burn to keep the
other “n…” in their place.

The second character is the
unnamed narrator.  He runs with his uncle to the square for
the party.  What the boy discovers is an execution of a black man.  Everyone standing
around is angry as they poke and prod the black man.  As the boy observes the burning of
the black man, he wants to turn away, but he makes himself watch until the black man
finally burns completely to ashes.  The death is brutal and
repulsive.

The narrator is upset and troubled by what he
sees.  When he vomits after the burning, he hopes to purge the smell and inner turmoil
that he feels.  Despite his revulsion of the event, the boy condemns no one.  He gives
no personal remarks and uses the word “n…” just as much as his uncle
does. 

The last character is the black
man.  The story never supplies the reason why the black man is in
trouble.  He was treated as though he were not a human being.  He was extremely brave as
reflected by the description of the narrator.  The townsmen built a fire around the
black man, strip his clothes off, and pour gasoline on
him. 

He asks for two things as he is
burning.

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“Will one of you gentlemen please cut my
throat?” he said. “Will somebody cut my throat like a
Christian?

And Jed hollered back, “Sorry, but ain’t no
Christians around
tonight.”

It takes  a long
time for the black man to die.  He breaks free when the ropes were burned through;
however, the white men throw more gasoline on him and he burns up completely.  The
narrator comments that he could actually see the black man’s ribs showing through when
he was trying to get away. The boy states that he recalls the scene every time he eats
barbeque. 

The crowd’s response to the killing of the man
brings a form of entertainment to them.  The racism was so ingrained that the people
have no feelings for the man as he burns or asks for help from a
Christian. 

The theme of the story
lies in the prejudice of the people who kill the black man.  Typical of areas of the
south before the civil rights movement, the black people were not considered as a part
of the human race.  The lack of emotion during the killing of the man makes the reader
wonder what would be the stopping point for a crowd capable of enjoying watching a man
burn to death.

The irony of the story
comes from the title of the story.  There was no party at the square on the night of the
plane crash, storm, or burning of the man.  There was only prejudice and cruelty for the
narrator to observe.