In The Nickel Boys, the phrase “stand up” emerges several times as a belief of Elwood’s and what American society advocates for. It is not only a vital choice the characters made that portrays their transition or consistent and upright personality, but also reflects an internal struggle of myself between realism and idealism.

In the novel, while Elwood was arguing with Turner about whether they should bravely express their true thoughts or repress it for the sake of safety and stability, Elwood firmly stated his position of believing “We can stand up for ourselves” (82).” Contrasting with the idealistic view of Elwood, Turner is more pragmatic, as he believed “you got to see how people act, and you got to figure out how to get around them like an obstacle course. If you want to walk out of here” (82).” The simile compared the suffering they experienced as an obstacle course that needed to be avoided carefully. The figurative language reflects Turner’s realistic belief in escaping trouble. On the other hand, Elwood chose to take risks, confront trouble, stand up, and fight against injustice. This scene highlights the divergent perspectives of Elwood and Turner regarding resistance, survival, and pursuit of justice within the oppressive environment of the Nickel Academy. The two characters are respectively emblematic of realism and idealism, which introduces the moral dilemma the novel draws out of whether to choose justice or own safety. The character’s final decision to expose the truth of Nickel Academy embodies Whitehead’s support for activism and courageous voice.

Although the novel conveys the concept of standing up for ourselves and the American high school education I received also advocates for this, I am still unable to choose between speaking up or staying silent in some cases. It contradicts what I’ve been taught growing up. Since I was a child, my grandma told me not to be the outlier in the crowd, while becoming the best or worst attracts too much attention, discussion, and sometimes even jealousy. She also told me that several high-profile people around her ended up in a bad way, while those in the middle like her usually spent life happily and stably. Once before, when I heard a political statement I disagreed with at school, my first reaction was to not dare to argue or offend but to stay quiet and hide my true thoughts. But I was still struggling with repression and entanglement, so I told my parents about this, and they told me very seriously that I must not get involved in this kind of political conflict. I think it also relates to the fact that my parents are realistic businessmen. For them, maintaining a friendly relationship and cooperation, no matter if they like the person on the other side or not, is more important than the expression of their true thoughts. My parents were again convinced of this notion by the experience of my uncle-in-law, who is still in jail because of his involvement in a political protest a few years ago. He was a vibrant young man who just graduated from college, but because of his criminal record, his career was ruined. My parents think his behavior of sacrificing future for his so-called justice was very stupid and immature. He ended up being an insignificant casualty of political conflict and his being a common citizen didn’t change any outcome. Therefore, while I greatly admire Elwood’s action of standing up for the justice he believes in, I still feel torn between expressing true belief or remaining quiet. Sometimes I am inspired by the “stand up" and “speak up” philosophy advocates in American society, and sometimes agree with my family on avoiding conflict.