The Nickel Boys: Exploring Racial Politics Through Metaphor in Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel

'The Nickel Boys,' by renowned African American writer Colson Whitehead, is a significant work in contemporary literature that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Literature. The novel uses metaphor to explore the issue of racial politics in the United States, focusing on a real-life correctional institution in Jim Crow America. By metaphorically presenting the racial political environment and social phenomena of the time, Whitehead reveals the ugly face of racial politics and judicial systems in Jim Crow-era America, as well as the irreversible damage caused to Black people.

Metaphor is an essential rhetorical device in literature, playing a crucial role in expressing the thematic meaning of a work. Whitehead's adept use of metaphor is a key component of 'The Nickel Boys' success. The novel contains numerous emotions and thoughts embedded in a metaphorical ontology, including imagery and narrative techniques.

This essay analyzes the use of metaphors in 'The Nickel Boys' in the context of American racial politics during several periods, reflecting the ugly phenomena of racial segregation, violence, and corruption. It first analyzes the imagery metaphor of the work, focusing on three imageries: the Nickel Academy, empty encyclopedia, and cemetery in the novel. By integrating the historical context of slavery plantations and the Jim Crow era, this article reveals the racial discrimination and segregation that Black people faced during the Jim Crow era.

By analyzing the plot metaphor in the work, this article exposes the corrupt political environment and judicial system that sheltered racism at the time and explores the psychological and physical trauma that prejudice and violence caused Black people. Ultimately, this essay analyzes the multiple metaphors in 'The Nickel Boys,' revealing the ugly face of racial politics and judicial systems in Jim Crow-era America, as well as the irreversible damage caused to Black people.