Ryland Nelson Mrs. Burgess Pre-AP English 9 3 March 2023 How the Resilient Boys Cope As a child, I remember getting hurt and acquiring a scar on my leg. Colson Whitehead explores the idea of character change in the novel The Nickel Boys. The book The Nickel Boys, written by Colson Whitehead follows the characters, Elwood and his best friend Turner, as they navigate “Nickel Academy”. This academy is quite similar to a Juvenile Detention Center as it is a place for boys who have been caught breaking the law. Elwood is the leading character of the book as he discovers what life is like on campus and what all happens behind closed doors. Both Elwood and Turner are black and face lots of racism. The Nickel Boys is based on a real reform school …show more content…
As Ellwood arrives at Nickel, all of his expectations are destroyed. What he faces is nothing like what he expects. This is shown through his initial remarks towards the as Whitehead says: “He got a look at the school and thought maybe Franklin was right—Nickel wasn't that bad. He expected tall stone walls and barbed wire, but there were no walls at all. The campus was kept up meticulously, a bounty of lush green dotted with two- and three-story buildings of red brick.” (pg. 47 Whitehead). Elwood’s first reaction to the school reveals his natural sense of optimism. This is specifically shown through Elwood’s comment “Nickel wasn't that bad” because it reveals how he looks for silver linings no matter the situation. Additionally when Elwood says “The campus was kept up meticulously” it reveals his observant qualities as he notices a lot more than most. Elwood is very naive when he first arrives, and doesn’t see anything wrong with the school at first glance the academy’s appearance. Elwood thinks that it won’t be as bad as he expects simply because it is well-kept and because it doesn’t have stone walls or barbed wire but instead green shrubbery. Elwood was hopeful for the …show more content…
Cooke removed the dressings and he walked the cold tile to the bathroom. Elwood got a look at himself in the mirror and knew that her heart wouldn’t be able to take it, plus his shame in letting it happen.” (83). The evidence shows Elwood's trauma. Elwood was beaten so much that he had gotten was knocked out. Elwood was embarrassed to let himself (let himself??) get beaten and he couldn’t let his grandmother know because she is already going through a tough time. When it says “ He couldn’t tell her what he saw when Dr. Cooke removed the dressings” it shows that he was afraid, he was afraid to show what Nickel has done to him because of further consequences and trauma. Even though he was innocent He felt she would judge and