The Nickel Boys Sparknotes

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In The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, Elwood Curtis is portrayed as an activist and a believer in justice. The author uses narration, dialogue, and flashbacks to tell the captivating story of a young boy who harbored hopes and aspirations for the rights of his people. However, he was left broken and lost, while the very same justice he fought for led to his demise. The story begins in Florida during the 1960s, when Elwood was faced with the harsh realities of the Jim Crow era. At first glance, he is presented as an upstanding young man who abides by the rules and strives to make a difference in the world. His warm and positive demeanor made his viewpoint on people weak, leading him to be perceived as naive and always believing the best in …show more content…

Under Harriet’s care, Elwood was raised to value education, hard work, and integrity. From a young age, he grew to love Dr. King and idolized him, absorbing his speeches and philosophies on nonviolent protests and justice. He relished the gifts his grandmother provided him with, which was shown in chapter one when he expressed his excitement, “Elwood received the best gift of his life on Christmas Day 1962, even if the ideas it put in his head were his undoing. Martin Luther King at Zion Hill was the only album he owned and it never left the turntable” (Whitehead 11). Later, in chapter three, Elwood goes on to express how those were the best ten cents his grandma had spent because they were full of ideas. Influenced by these albums, Elwood embraced these ideals, and his dedication to Dr. King's words was evident in his everyday actions, such as when he refused to accept the injustices he witnessed in his segregated community. It was quite apparent to the community as a whole that Elwood was unlike the other boys from the neighborhood. He was responsible and made good decisions while prioritizing his education alongside

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