The Nickel Boys Notes

Key Concepts and Quotes from The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Part 1

• Quote 1: “If everyone looked the other way, then everybody was in on it. If he looked the other way, he was as implicated as the rest. That's how he saw it, how he'd always seen things.”
  • Context: Turner introduces and informs Elwood about Nickel Academy.
  • Significance: Shows Elwood's strong moral compass at the beginning of the book. He believes that inaction is as bad as committing the action itself.
• Quote 2: “Do to us what you will and we will still love you.