Martin Luther King at Zion Hill (Motif)
Dr. Martin Luter King Jr.'s recorded album of speeches, Martin Luther King at Zion Hill, is quoted throughout the novel. Elwood often repeats quotes from the speeches to himself, which appear in the narrative as part of his internal monologue. Several phrases, such as "the capacity to suffer," are repeated with even greater frequency. The album was first given to Elwood by his grandmother, and becomes a pivotal piece of media around which Elwood shapes his moral philosophy and approach to surviving Nickel Academy. He vows to suffer because he believes in pursuing freedom, just as Dr. King advocates in the speeches.
The Blank Encyclopedias (Symbol)
The encyclopedias that Elwood "wins" during a contest at the hotel turn out to be blank, symbolizing the many ways in which black people were restricted from accessing an education. Elwood competes for the encyclopedias and wins them fairly through his ability to wash dishes quickly; however, his fair victory means nothing, since the encyclopedias contain nothing. His desire for knowledge is thwarted by the fact that the other workers at the hotel only want to play a prank. They invalidate his desires and thwart them.
The Boxing Match (Allegory)
The spectacle of the boxing match is a profound allegorical scene that encompasses the full extent of Nickel Academy's (and greater society's) horrific racism, corruption, and evil. The boys' bodies are used as violent entertainment. The school administrators bet on them, recreating racist traditions that existed during the slave trade: exhibitionist slave matches, which were popular during the Antebellum period in the southern United States. The match represents the full extent to which Nickel Academy reinforces America's racist past and recreates it within its confines.
"Ace" Moving Company (Symbol)
Turner/Elwood's (since he begins the moving company while living under Elwood's identity after escaping Nickel) moving company symbolizes his unique ability to build himself a successful life after escaping Nickel Academy. Many of the boys are unable to do so, remaining trapped within cycles of confronting their trauma and having failed relationships or careers. Turner, on the other hand, is able to move on—although to do so, he has to take on a false name and totally suppress any memory he has of Nickel.
The White House/The Ice Cream Factory (Symbol)
The shed where the boys are taken to be brutally beaten is a symbol of Nickel Academy's pernicious embodiment of banal evil. The shed is inconspicuous and hidden away from public view, just like Nickel Academy's violence is hidden from the public eye by the secretive tendencies of the administration. The boy's decision to refer to the shed as "The White House" or the "Ice Cream Factory" also symbolizes how normalized the violent space is for the boys. It is so regular that the place becomes just another part of Nickel's geography. The names also represent a method of coping with the trauma that the shed houses; by referring to it with a name that sounds normal, the boys obscure the horror that it holds.
