A Terrifying Exploration of the Struggles with Racism as well as the Never Ending Pursuit of Strength
Colson Whitehead’s book The Nickel Boys encompasses a powerful tale of optimism, injustice and the deep-rooted racism in America. The book was published in 2019, and is based on the notorious history of the Dozier School for Boys, which unravels the life of Elwood Curtis, a young boy whose aspirations are forcefully torn apart by the unmerciful America of the 1960s. This book blends fictional cruelty and factual horror to tell the story to the audience in the best way possible.
Unfulfilled Aspirations: The Life of Elwood Curtis
Elwood Curtis, as we know from the novel, is an underprivileged optimistic teenager who looks up to Martin Luther King Jr. and wishes to make the world a better place. At the beginning of the book, we see Elwood as a bright teenager raised by his grandmother in Florida.
Few can even imagine the horrors that Elwood has to endure at the Nickel Academy. The academy itself looks like it has been pulled straight out of a ‘D’ grade horror movie filled with corruption, segregation, and physical abuse. Elwood manages to make a friend in Turner who is far more pragmatic and rugged and encourages him to further distance himself from his naive views of justice. Regardless of the warnings given by Turner, he ensures to not budge and ardently believes in justice. He hopes to one day expose the corrupt academy. Hence he starts recording evidence of the atrocities taking place.
Years later, we find Elwood living in New York City and never moving on from his past of being a successful businessman. It still shadows him. Not being able to cope with the trauma of his childhood, he begins to contemplate ways on how to survive in a world that constantly at war and full of Identity crisis. These revelations serve to be the climaxes of the novel that challenges his ideology.
Elwood’s novel has plenty of symbols deeply rooted within the themes of humanity driven by trauma. The school serves as a mid century example of American racism. It provides a glimpse into the broader problems of racial inequality and the human spirit. The course theme – systemic oppression and race – does in fact mirror the same.
The moving of a hopeful Elwood to a psychologically traumatized man reflects the irrevocable impact of violence on black children. This formless violence leads to the loss of innocence and becomes one of the novel’s most heart wrenching tragedies.
Moral Courage: Elwood’s determination to maintain his principles, no matter how much he suffers, exposes the depth of conviction that has the potential to confront evil empires.
The Weight of Truth: The accounts of Whitehead’s narrative force the reader to deal with uncomfortable real truths around the darker chapters of humanity. It serves as a caution of how vital it is to reconcile with history so as not to face it again.
Critical Acclaim: A Pulitzer-winning Masterpiece
The Nickel Boys has received immense praise for the depiction of the lingering effects of America’s systemic racism alongside the preparations in which it has desired and attempted to exterminate the human spirit. Winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, the novel garnered attention with its unyielding surpassing of the expectations during the brutal examination of systemic failure, as put by the Pulitzer committee. Whitehead’s blend of historical and factual elements of the narrative with evocative unscripted storytelling has made an impact on both readers and critics alike.
From Page to Screen: The Film Adaptation
In 2024, Director LaMell Ross adapted Penny Dreadful and Whitehead to the silver screen with a film, Nickel Boys. Employing first-person narrative devices, the adaptation holds the audience amid the life stories of Elwood and Turner. These stylistic choices augment the emotional impact of the characters, fully immersing viewers in the audience’s subjective realities.
This was met with positive reviews and termed as “remarkably artful depiction” and received praise for the manner in which it artistically illustrated the theme’s moral complexity. The film’s unyielding depiction of the story promptly ensures that the audience of The Nickel Boys increases drastically.
A Timely Reminder
The Nickel Boys serves as a chilling reminder of the long term impact of racism and misuse of power. Through Elwood’s eyes, readers are shown what Colson Whitehead intends to explore: the hope that everybody possesses within. This and many more cannot be undone, thus, it is necessary to contemplate and prevent such things. In both the film and novel adaptation, David and Goliath demonstrates the bravery to deal with the past and move forward.
Watch Free Movies on Goojara