Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Nickel Boys, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Trauma and Repression
Unity, Support, and Hope
History, Secrecy, and Racism
Civil Rights, Dignity, and Sacrifice
Power, Fear, and Upward Mobility
Summary
Analysis
The state of Florida banned solitary confinement in schools years ago, but Spencer still throws Elwood into solitary confinement after beating him in the White House. However, because he doesn’t yet know what the effect of Elwood’s letter will be, the superintendent doesn’t beat him quite as hard as he did the first time. After whipping him for a while, he gives the switch to Hennepin, who takes his own swipes at Elwood until Spencer tells him to stop, wanting to keep Elwood alive in case the government follows up on Elwood’s letter.
Spencer’s fury rains down on Elwood once again. This time, though, Spencer fears that he might be held accountable for his actions, so he doesn’t whip Elwood quite as hard. In this way, Whitehead suggests that the threat of exposure keeps evil people from fully enacting their wicked ways. This is why Nickel Academy maintains a veil of secrecy, knowing that exposure is the only thing that might put an end to the institution’s depraved policies. In a way, then, Elwood’s plan does lead to some positive change, however small.
Themes
As Elwood sits in solitary confinement, he tries to recapture Dr. King’s optimism, reciting the line, “Throw us in jail and we will still love you…But be assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer, and one day we will win our freedom.” In the confounding, soul-stilling darkness, these words fail to stir Elwood’s optimism, and he begins to feel his strength slip. Staring into the blackness, he remembers the days he spent at the Richmond Hotel, waiting in vain to see a black customer.
Elwood has been discouraged before, like when he initially took Turner’s advice to keep to himself in the aftermath of his first beating. This, however, is the first time he has truly succumbed to despair, unable to summon the strength to believe that his “capacity to suffer” will actually lead to any kind of genuine liberation. This newfound sense of defeat makes sense, since it’s obvious that the government inspectors ignored his letter, deciding to report it to Spencer rather than paying attention to what it actually said.
Themes
One night, the door to Elwood’s cell opens. He flinches, preparing himself for another beating and wrapping his head around the idea that Spencer has, after three weeks, finally decided to kill him. The only thing keeping Spencer from taking him “out back,” he knows, is that the superintendent isn’t sure whether or not the state will make him answer for his actions. Now, though, everything seems to have calmed down, meaning that Spencer is free to do whatever he wants. Elwood is prepared to face this fact, but then he hears Turner’s voice, telling him to get moving because Spencer is going to kill him the following day. Saying this, he helps Elwood down the hall, past Blakely’s nearby bedroom, and out into night.
Elwood has lost seemingly all hope, finding it impossible to find solace even in Dr. King’s words, which used to bring him such strength. Turner, on the other hand, has apparently adopted a newfound desire to push back against Nickel’s abusive ways. Consequently, he helps Elwood break out of solitary confinement, leaving behind his individualistic mindset so that he can help his friend. This change in Turner’s thinking indicates that camaraderie really does lead to increased action against oppression, since Turner was presumably inspired by Elwood’s bold example.
Themes
The Nickel staff members are playing poker in a separate building, so Turner and Elwood manage to slink off the grounds undetected. When Elwood asks why Turner chose to come for him, Turner explains that he heard through the grapevine that Spencer and Hardee are planning on taking him “out back” the next night. Stopping for a moment, Elwood asks Turner why he’s coming, too, and Turner says that Elwood is so dumb that he would surely get caught in no time at all. When Elwood reminds him that he once said he’d never take anyone with him while escaping, Turner says, “You’re dumb, and I’m stupid.”
Spencer and Hardee’s plan to kill Elwood confirms the idea that the only thing keeping evil people from doing terrible things is the threat of exposure. Now that it’s clear the government won’t do anything to protect Elwood, the administrators are free to do whatever they want, no longer held back by the risk of getting caught. On another note, it’s obvious that Turner has undergone a complete transformation, leaving behind his individualistic ways in order to band together with Elwood and recognizing that worrying only about himself will inevitably lead to Elwood’s death—something that would forever weigh on his conscience. Even for someone as individualistic as Turner, Whitehead indicates, it’s not actually possible to separate one’s own fate from those of other people.
Themes
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Turner brings Elwood to a house he knows is empty, where they steal two bicycles before hitting the road. Each time a car appears, they both have the urge to turn and look, but they force themselves to simply keep pedaling. They ride like this all night, and when the sun rises, more cars overtake them. To Turner’s surprise, Elwood keeps up quite well, considering the fact that he has spent the past three weeks in solitary confinement. Even though they’re far from Nickel, though, a staff van approaches them just as they begin to climb a hill. It is, Turner sees, the Community Service van. The boys pedal as hard as they can, but they soon see that they won’t be able to outrun the van, so they ditch their bikes and jump over a fence, bolting out into a stretch of farmland.
Even far away from Nickel Academy, Elwood and Turner don’t manage to fully escape the powerful institution. When Turner looks over his shoulder and sees the Community Service van hurtling toward him, he most likely recognizes that everything about Nickel Academy—even his Community Service work, which felt like a refuge from the hardships of everyday life as a student—has always been out to get him. Just when he decides to stand up for himself, then, he is reminded of Nickel’s inordinate power over him.
Themes
Turner yells at Elwood to run faster through the tall grass. Behind them, the Community Service van comes to a sudden stop, and Harper and Hennepin jump out holding shotguns. At the end of the field stands another fence, beyond which a massive stand of trees reaches up from the ground. As the boys sprint toward this refuge, they hear the first explosion from the shotgun. The shot misses. When Turner looks over his shoulder, he sees that it came from Hennepin. Now, though, Harper stops running and aims his gun, and just as he pulls the trigger, Turner looks back. He then sees Elwood’s arms fling out, and in a long, terrible sweep, Elwood falls forward and crumples into the grass as Turner keeps running, hopping the fence and disappearing into the woods.
It’s noteworthy that Harper is the person to shoot Elwood, since he has previously presented himself as something of a friend to both Elwood and Turner and suggested that he felt empathy for their bad luck. Now, though, it seems as if this friendliness has been nothing but an act, perhaps something Harper does to make himself feel better about the fact that he is just as authoritarian and oppressive as any other staff member at Nickel. On a separate note, this scene is intentionally confusing, at least in terms of how it affects the novel’s overall narrative—after all, readers know that Elwood later lives in New York City and that his friend is the one who dies, not him. However, neither of these plot points aligns with what has just happened in this scene.
Themes
