The Nickel Boys

by

Colson Whitehead

The Nickel Boys: Chapter Three Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
On the first day of school, Elwood and his classmates receive hand-me-down textbooks from the white high school. The white students are aware that their books will be given to black students, so they graffiti racial slurs into the margins. Each year, Elwood is dismayed to 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 the Civil Rights Movement, having participated as a freedom rider and marched in multiple rallies. Saying that racist graffiti in textbooks always got to him, he instructs Elwood and the rest of the class to go through the books and color over the phrases with black markers. This strikes Elwood as a fantastic idea, and he wonders why he’s never done it before.
Mr. Hill is perhaps the first person Elwood has ever met who actually embodies the “sense of dignity” that Dr. King urges all African American people to cultivate. Rather than simply bearing racism, Mr. Hill actively tries to counteract it, urging his students to erase racial slurs from their textbooks. In doing so, he shows Elwood and his peers that combatting racism is worthwhile, thereby encouraging them to stand up to injustice in any way they can.
Themes
Unity, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
History, Secrecy, and Racism Theme Icon
Civil Rights, Dignity, and Sacrifice Theme Icon
Elwood is an exceptional student, and Mr. Hill notices this. In particular, he picks up on the fact that Elwood is interested in the Civil Rights Movement. Until now, Elwood has been too young to participate in any of the marches or rallies that have taken place in Frenchtown, and though his grandmother would never let him take part in such activities, she supports the movement from afar. Now, though, Elwood hears of a plan to protest outside of the Florida Theatre, which still refuses to let black people in. It is 1963, and Elwood believes he’s old enough to participate in the cause.
It's no surprise that Elwood decides to get involved in the Civil Rights Movement shortly after Mr. Hill underlines the importance of doing what one can to counteract injustice. Mr. Hill serves as a perfect example of somebody who isn’t afraid to actively resist even the smallest forms of racism, as made clear when he encourages his class to erase the epithets from their textbooks. Having recognized that his teacher believes it’s worthwhile to stand up for oneself, then, Elwood decides to join the Civil Rights Movement by protesting at the Florida Theatre. 
Themes
Unity, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
History, Secrecy, and Racism Theme Icon
Civil Rights, Dignity, and Sacrifice Theme Icon
Elwood thinks that his grandmother will be proud of him, especially since she herself participated in the Frenchtown bus boycott of the 1950s. However, this was only because she didn’t want to be the only woman in Frenchtown who still rode the bus. On the whole, she believes that acting above one’s station will only bring trouble. After all, her own father died in prison after refusing to make way for a white woman on the sidewalk. Furthermore, Elwood’s father came back from the army with ideas about equality that didn’t fit into the everyday life of Tallahassee.  Given these outcomes, she tells Elwood that he can’t go to the protest outside the Florida Theatre, saying that he has to focus on working at Mr. Marconi’s shop. 
Unlike Elwood himself, his grandmother is willing to undermine her own sense of justice in order to avoid trouble. This is because she has witnessed what can happen in a racist society when a black person stands up against racism. Elwood, on the other hand, hasn’t witnessed such things, and even if he had, he would probably still go to the protest, since he believes that he must always protect his “sense of dignity” by honoring his moral compass.
Themes
Unity, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
History, Secrecy, and Racism Theme Icon
Civil Rights, Dignity, and Sacrifice Theme Icon
Power, Fear, and Upward Mobility Theme Icon
Defying his grandmother’s orders, Elwood asks Mr. Marconi for the day off. Without hesitation, Marconi gives him the time off, and so Elwood makes his way to the Florida Theatre. At first, he feels 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 Elwood’s high school. These seniors shake his hand, giving him a kind of respect he’s never experienced. This comes as a pleasant surprise, and Elwood realizes that he’s been too focused on his own private fantasies about the Civil Rights Movement to recognize that people at his school also care about activism and equality.  
When Elwood goes to the protest, he becomes part of the activist community. All of a sudden, he no longer feels like the only person who thinks about discrimination, racism, and injustice. Finally, it seems, he has found people who align with his own worldview, and this reaffirms his conviction to remain true to his morals. This moment again highlights the importance of unity as a source of hope in the face of oppression.
Themes
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History, Secrecy, and Racism Theme Icon
Civil Rights, Dignity, and Sacrifice Theme Icon
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A friend of Elwood’s grandmother sees Elwood at the protest outside the Florida Theatre and relays the message. Three days later, his grandmother brings this up before giving him the silent treatment, recognizing that he’s too big to be spanked with a belt, which is what she used to do when he misbehaved. The ensuing week is grueling, since Elwood isn’t even allowed to listen to At Zion Hill. At the same time, though, he feels at one with himself after having participated in the protest. Recognizing this rewarding feeling, he starts looking forward to someday attending college, where he’ll act independently and pursue his dreams of activism and education.  
Although Elwood’s grandmother punishes him for going against her word, he’s still glad to have gone to the protest outside the Florida Theatre. Once again, then, readers see that he’s primarily concerned with remaining true to his own moral convictions, rather than meeting the expectations that others place upon him.
Themes
Unity, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
Civil Rights, Dignity, and Sacrifice Theme Icon
That summer—which is the last 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 idea that “negroes are Americans and their destiny is the country’s destiny.” This idea helps Elwood understand why he wants to be part of the Civil Rights Movement, clarifying his belief that fighting for equality doesn’t only benefit the African American community, but the entire nation. To spread this message, he spends his time writing to local and activist newspapers and even gets one piece published by The Chicago Defender.
When Elwood reads Baldwin’s ideas about how racial equality factors into the United States as an entire nation, he finally understands why he’s so willing to face injustice even when doing so is risky—it’s not that he’s interested only in helping himself, but that he’s concerned about the welfare of the country as a whole. Nobody can be free, he suddenly understands, when so many people live under oppression. Adopting this mindset, Elwood invests himself in the idea of unity and communal support, devoting himself to a vision of America as a truly unified place.
Themes
Unity, Support, and Hope Theme Icon
Civil Rights, Dignity, and Sacrifice Theme Icon
Quotes
One summer day, Mr. Hill visits Elwood at Mr. Marconi’s shop. Dressed in casual clothing, he looks like he hasn’t thought about school for a very long time. Telling Elwood that he has an opportunity for him, he explains that he has a friend who works at Melvin Griggs Technical, which is an African American college near Tallahassee. Apparently, the college has opened classes to academically successful black students, and Mr. Hill’s friend asked him to spread the word to anyone who might be interested in and qualified to make use of this opportunity. Mr. Hill insists that Elwood is the perfect candidate, adding that the classes would be free of charge. When Elwood asks his grandmother if he can do this, she immediately agrees, so he prepares to enroll, deciding to take a course in British Literature.
At this point in the novel, Elwood’s hard work and determination has seemingly paid off. Unlike his experience at the Richmond Hotel, his commitment to schoolwork has only led to good things, reaffirming his belief that it’s possible for a young black man to attain upward mobility in the United States. However, readers still know that Elwood eventually ends up at Nickel Academy, so this moment also implies that the long-term outcome for Elwood may nonetheless be unjust.
Themes
Power, Fear, and Upward Mobility Theme Icon
The day before Elwood’s first class at Melvin Griggs, Mr. Marconi gives him a beautiful pen. The next day, he sets off toward the school, planning to hitchhike the seven miles between his house and the campus. On his way, he gets a ride from a black man driving an impressive car. After riding with the man for a short time, Elwood notices police lights flashing behind them, at which point a white police officer beckons them to the side of the road. Soon enough, Elwood sees the officer getting out of the patrol car with his gun drawn. “First thing I thought when they said to keep an eye out for a Plymouth,” the officer yells. “Only a nigger’d steal that.”
Just as Elwood’s hard work is about to pay off, he ends up in a fraught situation by accidentally getting into a stolen car. As a young black man in the South, it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to escape punishment, despite the fact that he has nothing to do with the theft. This, it seems, is most likely what leads him to Nickel Academy, a cruel trick of fate that squashes his dreams even though he has done nothing wrong. The police officer’s use of a racist slur also highlights how unjustly African American people are treated in Elwood’s society; the police officer immediately assumes the worst about people simply because of their race.
Themes
History, Secrecy, and Racism Theme Icon
Power, Fear, and Upward Mobility Theme Icon