Examples Of Social Injustice In The Nickil Boys

Social injustice is when actions are taken that disregard a group of individuals rights, take away their opportunities or treat them unfairly. Social injustice stands in the way of growth and development, and even delays improvement in life. In Colson Whitehead’s novel “The Nickel Boys”, Elwood Curtis and the boys at Nickel Academy are seen dealing with social injustice in the 1960’s America. Elwood faces a form of social injustice in multiple ways having to deal with discrimination, physical and emotional abuse, and limited opportunities. Through internal dialogue Elwood and the boys at Nickel have their own way of dealing with the way they’re discriminated against. Colson Whitehead exposes the systemic racism and inequality in our country

Elwood’s experience going to Nickel and his first day show the different way’s social justice takes place through racial discrimination. Elwood goes to jail for being treated unfairly to show the disregard of Elwood’s innocence. The effects of social injustice are evident while Elwood goes to court, and he gets sent to Nickel without any question about his innocence but because he was an African American in the 1960’s he wasn’t given any opportunity to defend himself. It didn’t make sense how he was getting sent to Nickel, and being on the same bus of people who committed “truancy” and other crimes like “broke the front window of a pharmacy” This means that, while Elwood didn’t do anything he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time he has to spend time at Nickel with delinquents who have done worse crimes than him. While Elwood was at Nickel he noticed things like the side for African Americans had “posters on the walls featuring bespectacled owls hooting out the

The boys at Nickel are subjected to arbitrary punishments. This means that they aren’t given an opportunity to defend themselves, and the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. This is shown when Elwood was trying to do the right thing and intervenes when he sees Lonnie and Big Mike bullying Corey. Elwood never had a chance to defend himself he thought that “he’d get less for stepping in” (68) but this wasn’t the case Corey who was getting bullied was in the room for around 70 seconds while Lonnie was in the room for around 60 seconds. This is considered a social injustice because of lack of due process and they didn’t give any opportunity to explain themselves which takes away their