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Griff is another Black student at Nickel Academy, described as large and powerful in stature and capable of extreme violence toward other students. Griff bullies the other boys and regularly beats them up, and yet the Black students cheer for Griff in the academy’s annual boxing match when he faces a white opponent.
Despite his physicality, Griff lacks intelligence. When Spencer corners Griff and threatens to kill him if he doesn’t throw the boxing match, Griff agrees, though it’s clear Griff doesn’t grasp the severity of Spencer’s threats in the moment. During the match, Griff either miscounts the number of rounds or purposefully refuses to lose, ultimately winning the fight before he can throw enough rounds. As a result, Spencer takes Griff in the middle of the night and murders him, later covering up his death. Griff thereby becomes both a symbol of resistance and a reminder of the brutal tragedy of white supremacy. Griff’s win in the boxing match is a rare victory for the Black students in the face of oppression, but due to the systemically racist society they live in, Griff pays for his decision with his life.
