Levi Character Analysis in On Beauty

Levi is a 16-year-old high school student who lives in the suburb of Wellington with his parents, Kiki and Howard. Unlike anyone else in his family, Levi has a vaguely Brooklyn-inspired accent and dresses in streetwear, both of which seem to be inspired by hip-hop and other pop cultural representations of Blackness. Levi values authenticity above all else, and he believes that the most authentic version of Black life only happens in urban areas, not suburbs like the one he’s from. This quest for authenticity leads Levi to befriend the street-smart spoken word performer Carl, then later some street hawkers, including Felix and Chouchou. But all of these “authentic” Black men refuse to fit into Levi’s preexisting expectations, showing how Black identity is a complicated concept that stereotypes can’t fully capture.

Levi Quotes in On Beauty

The On Beauty quotes below are all either spoken by Levi or refer to Levi. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

‘I don’t think that’s how things go down now,’ Levi said at last, gently, not wanting to disappoint his father, but needing to catch the bus. It was a nice enough story, but it was making him late for work.

Related Characters: Levi (speaker), Howard, Bailey

Related Symbols: Hip-hop

Page Number and Citation: 181

Explanation and Analysis:

This is Levi’s response after Howard lectures him on the importance of direct action to address labor issues. The lecture comes after Levi, frustrated that the music megastore where he works is forcing him to work in Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, goes to Howard for advice. As with many of the conversations in On Beauty, each side has a valid point. Howard’s emphasis direct action is idealized and oversimplified, but it’s also nevertheless a relatively accurate description of how workers have historically achieved more rights. Meanwhile, Levi’s claim that things happen differently these days is more pragmatic—he might not Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque

‘What’s your deal, man? Don’t take this strange, but . . . you don’t seem like the type of guy who would be doing this kind of thing. You know?’

‘How about this?’ said Choo quietly, again alarming Levi with his easy use of American idioms, albeit dipped in that exotic accent. ‘You leave me alone and I do my very best to leave you alone. You sell your movies. I sell these handbags. How would that be?’

Related Characters: Chouchou (speaker), Levi (speaker), Felix

Related Symbols: Hip-hop

Page Number and Citation: 247

Explanation and Analysis:

After Levi meets some bootleggers who seem to him to be the most “authentic” version of Black culture that he has ever encountered, he meets a recent Haitian immigrant named Chouchou (“Choo”) who defies all of Levi’s expectations. As Levi says in this quote, he doesn’t understand how someone with Chouchou’s background ended up street hawking in the first place. Chouchou seems totally disinterested in Levi’s attempts to glamorize street hawking by rebranding it as “hustling,” preferring instead to treat it as a job and nothing more. Chouchou’s accented but highly fluent and occasionally formal English reveal his background as Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum v

For the first time it occurred to Howard that this gorgeous, single nineteen-year-old giving her attention to a 57-year-old married man (albeit with a full head of hair) might have other motives besides pure animal passion. Was he – as Levi would put it – being played?

Related Characters: Howard, Victoria, Levi, Kiki, Monty

Page Number and Citation: 343

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote is a thought that Howard has after he sees Victoria at a student-faculty dinner and wonders why she continues to pursue a sexual relationship with him. While on the one hand Howard’s concern may seem reasonable, it also has the effect of subtly shifting the blame for the affair from him to her. Rather than casting himself as an authority figure who struggles to set boundaries, Howard instead casts Victoria as a crafty woman who uses her beauty to trick him. As it turns out, Howard’s concerns about Victoria’s “ulterior motive” are partially correct. On the one hand, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et.

Choo had been on his conscience. Because . . . because Choo wasn’t like the other guys in the team. He didn’t travel with the pack, didn’t screw around or go dancing, and he seemed, by contrast, lonely, isolated. Basically, Levi figured that Choo was just plain smarter than all the people around him, and Levi, who lived with people similarly cursed, felt that his own experience in this area (as a carer of smart folk) made him especially qualified to help Choo out.

Related Characters: Chouchou, Levi

Related Symbols: Hip-hop

Page Number and Citation: 357

Explanation and Analysis:

This passage comes from a scene where Levi makes the unusual decision to travel to Boston and drop by Chouchou at his apartment unannounced. Levi isn’t used to trying to connect with other people, particularly because he doesn’t have very good role models in his own family, so his attempt to do something nice for Chouchou comes across as awkward. But in spite of the strange way Levi goes about things, Chouchou eventually seems to be touched by Levi’s visit. Levi’s meeting with Chouchou is a crucial moment of character growth for Levi because he is attempting to see Chouchou Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostr

Levi Character Timeline in On Beauty

The timeline below shows where the character Levi appears in On Beauty. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...latest email and shows it to Kiki. It’s breakfast time, and their children Zora and Levi are eating in silence. (full context)

Jerome and Zora were born in England, while Levi was born in America. When Levi turned 12, he somehow developed a Brooklyn accent. He... (full context)

As Howard is leaving, he runs into Levi. He asks Levi why he always wears a skullcap and if it has any political... (full context)

Levi thinks it could be a good thing if Jerome gets married, since it’s probably the... (full context)

...to support Jerome’s idea. When they get there, Jerome is disappointed by the long line. Levi says he could hop a fence easily if he wanted to. Zora says it’s ridiculous... (full context)

...good-looking man who could be anywhere between 52 and 79 years old. Jack notices that Levi is gone, and the adults talk about how children seem so naturally eager to get... (full context)

...concert, Howard is ready to go, but Kiki reminds him that they have to find Levi first. As they’re heading out, a black teenager in a baseball cap (Carl) starts shouting... (full context)

...music comes blasting out of it. She realizes it’s not hers and trades with Carl. Levi and Carl talk afterward, and Levi asks about what Carl was listening to. As it... (full context)

Howard calls over to Levi, and Levi says goodbye to Carl. Howard asks if Carl is Levi’s friend, but Levi... (full context)

It’s the Saturday of Howard and Kiki’s anniversary party. Levi makes sure to get a Saturday shift at the music mega-store where he works so... (full context)

As Levi walks back from his shift around four p.m., he listens to music on his headphones.... (full context)

The woman (Carlene) says she’d like to see Levi’s mom, believing she must be glamorous. Levi says she’ll probably be disappointed since most of... (full context)

Levi makes it home right before the anniversary party. He isn’t looking forward to the party,... (full context)

When Levi gets inside, Howard is cooking, covered in flour, and drinking wine. Levi complains that he... (full context)

Levi feels that his parents are getting mad at him just for being the messenger of... (full context)

...them to the party. Carlene is happy to see Kiki and says that Jerome and Levi are both so handsome. Kiki says she’d like to put everything that happened between Jerome... (full context)

...the door, and Howard doesn’t recognize him at first. Carl explains he’s a friend of Levi’s. Howard says it’s a private party and Levi isn’t around. Carl says he never should’ve... (full context)

...party, Howard finally finds Erskine, who is sitting by the pool talking to Kiki and Levi. Howard asks them about Zora, but they don’t know where she is. (full context)

...the one who put on hip-hop, although she just randomly put on a CD that Levi made. She didn’t like the band Kraftwerk that Howard was playing earlier and makes fun... (full context)

Carl says he never actually saw Levi after the Mozart concert, even though they both planned on it. Zora asks if Carl... (full context)

The mega-store where Levi works is a massive building which could only be constructed by knocking down an old... (full context)

When Levi tells Howard he doesn’t want to work on Christmas, Howard suggests Levi organize some “direct... (full context)

Levi asks Candy if she heard about working on Christmas. He says he’s trying to organize... (full context)

When Levi holds the meeting, he realizes that only his white coworkers like Tom and Candy have... (full context)

As Levi is conducting the meeting, Bailey suddenly comes in. Bailey says he heard a rumor that... (full context)

Bailey dismisses all the other workers so that he can talk to Levi alone. He accuses Levi of acting up to humiliate him. He says he knows that... (full context)

...is, and Zora says she doesn’t know: she thinks that Howard is asleep and that Levi hasn’t been back since work the previous morning. (full context)

Just then, Levi arrives, looking exhausted and hungover. He was in the house the whole time and just... (full context)

Kiki says Levi needs to start preparing for his SATs, but Levi complains he already has plans with... (full context)

...sources like Plato or Baudelaire. In turn, Zora’s questions about theory bore Claire. Just then, Levi comes up to the table with a few friends. (full context)

Claire says Levi has grown big and muscular, probably from so much swimming. Levi accepts the compliment but... (full context)

...generation are still as conflicted as her, feeling one thing but doing another. Just then, Levi gets up to the stage with his friends. Zora is nervous, but Daisy tries to... (full context)

...beat and all start talking, with one in the lead speaking Creole and others, like Levi, hyping him up. Eventually, Levi takes the microphone for a chorus in English and does... (full context)

Claire leaves to smoke a cigarette, and Zora joins her. Zora says she wishes Levi’s act was good, but it seemed like they were trying too hard. As they’re talking,... (full context)

...is in a used bookstore in Boston. While there, she accidentally meets up with both Levi and Jerome. Jerome has just returned home from Brown for the holiday and hasn’t even... (full context)

Zora, Levi, and Jerome go to a café to catch up. Jerome says that the tension between... (full context)

Zora mentions that Carl has been coming to Claire’s classes, which surprises Levi. Zora says Jerome would find him interesting, but Levi dismisses Carl as “the kind of... (full context)

...even if he agrees with some of Zora’s criticism. In the middle of this conversation, Levi gets up and says he has to get back to school. (full context)

Instead of going to school, Levi goes to see his new friends, including the leader, Felix, who has the darkest skin... (full context)

Chouchou complains to Levi that he hates selling things, but Levi corrects him, saying that what he’s really doing... (full context)

Levi marvels that people will pay so much for fake bags when the cost to make... (full context)

Levi tells Chouchou that he doesn’t seem like the sort of person who would normally be... (full context)

Levi has never been to a funeral before and finds the whole experience strange, particularly the... (full context)

...deal, and she is impressed by how magnanimous he is. Kiki leaves Monty to find Levi, Jerome, and Zora. There, all of them notice Chantelle, who looks beautiful and has apparently... (full context)

...and feel out of place. Out of them, Kiki is the most upset while Zora, Levi, and Jerome are impatient to leave. (full context)

Kiki laughs as Howard does his imitation of the glee club. Levi yells down at them that he’s trying to sleep. Eventually, Kiki stops laughing and sighs,... (full context)

Levi was angry about his sleep being interrupted because he has to get up early the... (full context)

Levi arrives in a part of Boston where everyone is Black. He checks an address on... (full context)

Chouchou says that he’s fine and that Levi needs to find some hobbies, but he invites him into his apartment anyway. Chouchou’s apartment... (full context)

Chouchou offers Levi water or rum, and Levi takes some water. Levi asks if Chouchou has any music,... (full context)

Chouchou tells Levi that not all the street hawkers are as poor as him—Felix actually lives in a... (full context)

Chouchou tells Levi to stop playing American music and put on some Bob Marley. He continues to talk... (full context)

...Howard gets absorbed with using the zoom function on a digitization of a Rembrandt painting. Levi startles him by coming in to see him. Howard asks why Levi isn’t in school,... (full context)

As Levi is leaving Howard’s Wellington office, he runs into Carl. Levi is surprised to hear about... (full context)

...pleases Kiki. At one point, Kiki takes Jerome aside and says she’s worried about how Levi has been spending so much time with the Haitian street hawkers lately, getting involved in... (full context)

Kiki suggests that Jerome should take Murdoch on a walk to the square where Levi is meeting his Haitian friends, and Jerome agrees. Jerome finds Levi in the square as... (full context)

Levi looks enough like a student that he can walk freely around Wellington without carrying an... (full context)

It takes Carl’s co-worker Elisha a while to find the album Levi wants, so he stays to talk with Carl. As they’re talking, Carl gets a notification... (full context)

When Levi returns to Kiki, she can tell that he’s been crying. She tells him to go... (full context)

Jerome and Kiki go to clean Levi’s room, which is full of posters, mostly of Black women in bikinis and rappers who... (full context)

Levi tries to explain that he and a friend (Chouchou) took the painting, but they don’t... (full context)

Kiki accuses Levi’s new Haitian friends of being a bad influence on him. Levi continues to tell her... (full context)

Kiki says Levi is going about solving problems the wrong way. Levi accuses Kiki herself of underpaying their... (full context)

...go to waste. He has more free time because he’s on a forced sabbatical. As Levi walks by, Howard offers him his allowance, then he complains that Kiki probably already paid... (full context)

Levi, Jerome, and Zora have all been instructed not to tell Howard where Kiki lives now.... (full context)

Howard offers Zora, Levi, and Jerome a lift into town, but they all refuse him, so he heads over... (full context)

Levi Character Analysis

Levi Quotes in On Beauty

The Anatomy Lesson: Chapter 5 Quotes

The Anatomy Lesson: Chapter 9 Quotes

On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 7 Quotes

On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 8 Quotes

Levi Character Timeline in On Beauty