Mr. Hill is a young African American man who is active in the Civil Rights movement. Elwood looks up to Mr. Hill, who is also his history teacher. On the first day of school, Mr. Hill tells the class to go through their textbooks and erase all of the racist graffiti that white students penciled into the margins, saying that such hateful sentiments will interfere with the children’s ability to learn. This impresses Elwood, who admires Mr. Hill’s engagement with social justice. When Elwood takes off work one day to attend a rally against a local theater’s segregation, he feels out of place until Mr. Hill spots him and invites him into a small group of young men, all of whom make him feel welcome and respected. Later, Mr. Hill hears about an opportunity for young black students to take classes for free at Melvin Griggs Technical College, and he immediately thinks of Elwood. Insisting that this program is perfect for Elwood, he convinces the boy to pursue this opportunity. Unfortunately, though, Mr. Hill’s relationship with Elwood gets cut short when Elwood is sent to Nickel Academy, a place where even Mr. Hill can’t help him.
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Mr. Hill Character Timeline in The Nickel Boys
The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Hill appears in The Nickel Boys. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Three
...see such hateful phrases scrawled across the pages. This year, though, his new history teacher, Mr. Hill , does something different. Mr. Hill is a young black man who is involved in...
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Elwood is an exceptional student, and Mr. Hill notices this. In particular, he picks up on the fact that Elwood is interested in...
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...out of place amongst the college students, all of whom are carrying signs. Eventually, though, Mr. Hill spots him and invites him to stand with him and a group of seniors at...
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...he spends in Tallahassee—Elwood receives a copy of James Baldwin’s Notes of a Native Son. Mr. Hill gives the book to him, and he immerses himself in it, taking note of Baldwin’s...
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One summer day, Mr. Hill visits Elwood at Mr. Marconi’s shop. Dressed in casual clothing, he looks like he hasn’t...
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