![Book Review: Who Is The True Villain In The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead](http://frannieheh.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/61xRqEb5jHL.jpg)
Book Review: Who Is The True Villain In The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
There are many villain-like characters in The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, but the main “villain” is the Nickel school. This novel unravels the life of Elwood, starting quite perfectly for a young black boy, who is living with his grandma Harriet, is doing good in school, always follows the rules, and even has a job. Until, a police officer falsely sends him to Nickel, a school for delinquents, after Elwood is accused of having participated in stealing a car because he’s black. Nickel becomes a monster for Elwood, destroying his life plans and goals.
Even though Nickel claims to be a school, it is a drag for Elwood’s education. Before Nickel, Elwood was planning on taking a few college courses at Melvin Griggs that are free and open to high-achieving high-school students. Instead in Nickel, they do not care about education. Elwood, who can do accounting in his head, is taking rudimentary math at Nickel with material he already knows. The teacher, Mr. Goodall, is distracted and barely puts in effort when teaching. He does not even take attendance nor grade assignments. Elwood, who was once an exceptional student, is now being dragged down. He is not learning anything college-level as he planned to, not to mention that he is not supposed to be there in the first place. Since it will take him six months to 2 years or more to get out, not only will Elwood not be taking college courses, Elwood also will not be learning in his old high school. By the end, he will have missed so many courses that he will no longer be an exceptional student. Going to Nickel not only has ripped up Elwood’s hope and excitement for college courses, but it has also prevented him from learning anything.
Nickel also brutally beats their students. They send boys to the White House and give them a cruel spanking. Nickel sends Elwood to the White House after he tries to stop a bullying situation. It started in the bathroom, with a younger boy named Corey being bullied by two manic people, Lonnie and Black Mike. Elwood could not stop himself from doing what is right and steps up to protect Corey. Unfortunately, Elwood is walloped in the jaw and knocked back against the sink. The moment is caught by advisor Phil, who reported them to Mr. Spencer. Next thing they know, they are standing in front of the White House. Elwood keeps track of the spanks, later realizing that the bullied got more than the bullies, which is surprising and unfair. Elwood would expect himself to get the least for trying to protect Corey, but instead, he is hit so much that he passes out. He even has to go to the hospital later because the fibers from the bed he was spanked on are stuck in his flesh. Nickel’s actions are inhumane; the spankings only teaching the students who are bullied into being quiet and that the bullies can continue since they would receive the fewest hits.
Last but not least, Nickel even kills their students. When inspectors come to inspect the school, Elwood thinks it is finally time to tell someone what is going on at the school. He writes a small note about everything Nickel has done to them, which is later given to the inspectors by his friend Turner. The next day, Elwood hopefully awaits for police cars or people to show up outside their window, ready to ban the school. None of that comes. Instead, he is dragged to the White House. Elwood is thrown in a dark cell, a room with almost no sunlight, and he can only eat one meal per day. One night, Tuner comes to rescue him after bearing some bad news. “They are going to take you out back tomorrow,” Turner says, meaning that Nickel was going to “take” him to the graveyard behind the school. In other words, Nickel is going to kill Elwood for doing what is right and trying to expose them. While the spanking was terrible enough, killing a student is on another level of worse. The fact that they had to torture Elwood first before killing him is barbarous. Nickel, while claiming to be a school, its inside is filled with cruelty. Though they say they make juvenile delinquents “better,” they only make them worse. For Elwood, a great boy who had an almost-going-to-be-perfect life was ruined. His dream to also be well educated is ruined. Not only that, but he stops wanting to do what is right in fear of being punished. While readers strongly hope that this story is only fiction, it is unfortunately not. The Nickel Boys is based on a devastating real story about a reform school in Florida that worked for many years and ruined the lives of thousands. Today, people are starting to take a stand for what’s not right. For example, when the murder of George Floyd happened, instead of ignoring this murder, people have taken action. Many people started participating in protests for the Black Lives Matter movement. Hopefully in the future horrible situations like Nickel won’t happen again and if they do, people can take a stand by doing what’s right.