The Nickel Boys: Metaphorical Exploration of Racial Politics in Jim Crow America

Colson Whitehead, a renowned African American writer, produced 'The Nickel Boys,' which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Literature and is a significant work in contemporary literature that uses metaphor to explore racial politics in the United States. The novel metaphorically presents the racial political environment and social phenomena in the United States during the Jim Crow era while focusing on a real-life correctional institution. Metaphor is an essential rhetorical device in literature that plays a crucial role in expressing the thematic meaning of the work, and Whitehead's adept use of it 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 work in the context of American racial politics during several periods, reflecting the ugly phenomena of racial segregation, violence, and corruption. The essay 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.