Mr. Hill Character Analysis

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.