Theme Of Friendship In The Nickil Boys

Colson Whitehead explores the idea of friendship in the novel The Nickel Boys. Turner; a young boy at Nickel, isn't keen on surrounding himself with close relationships, until Elwood came into the picture. Throughout the book, Elwood and Turner got closer, creating a bond that would last a lifetime. At the beginning of the novel, Turner is independent, but he eventually grows to become open to friendship, changing his views of the world which illustrates friendship can strongly affect one's growth.

Turner in the beginning is individualistic, but he starts to realize that having a friend would be a positive concept. Turner at the start, teaches Elwood the realistic views of the world. He says, “‘But now that I been out and I been brought back,

This shows when Turner says, “‘I didn’t do sh** El. I delivered the mail, is all’ He put out his hand and the boys shook on it” (183). Even though Turner doesn’t think taking down Nickel is an acceptable idea, he helps Elwood deliver the letter. This is an example of Turner changing his views for the sake of his friendship. The phrase “the mail” is a symbol of the letter Elwood is trying to give to the state inspectors, but couldn’t deliver it by himself. Turner does this act of kindness for Elwood because he knows it is important to him. This small deed Turner does for Elwood truly shows how their friendship changes him considering he would not have done that in the beginning of the book. It also shows how strong their friendship truly is. Finally, Turner reflects on his action of taking on Elwood’s story and life. Turner reflects to himself, “In some ways Turner had been telling Elwood’s story ever since his friend died, through years and years of revisions, of getting it right, as he stopped being the desperate alley cat of his youth and turned into a man he thought Elwood would have been proud of” (204). This is significant now that we know Turner changes his views of the world, so he could have Elwoods take on life. Turner's true intentions were to make Elwood proud, which in the end he accomplishes. Their friendship is so critical because they both change each other for the better. As a result, they both have their stories told, even if it is just Turner telling them. The comparison of Turner to a “desperate alley cat”, has the effect of explaining to the reader why their bond is so important. Seeing that Turner would have never become the person he does if he never met Elwood. Clearly, their friendship shapes how Turner views the world, and the two boys meeting is a blessing in