Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in On the Come Up, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Identity and Individuality
Racism and Prejudice
Trauma, Poverty, and Childhood
Control, Image, and Fame
Summary
Analysis
Aunt Pooh yells at Bri to go as the SWAT team chases down Garden Disciples. Bri doesn't know where to go, but Curtis grabs Bri and drags her into Sister Daniels's apartment. Bri feels one of her Timbs do something weird and has to limp to follow him. She looks out the window and sees Pooh being patted down. The officer pulls out a baggie of cocaine and Bri feels as though she can't breathe. Curtis talks Bri through her panic attack and Bri gasps that everyone leaves her. Curtis leans Bri's head on his shoulder and says that she's not alone.
The SWAT raid is something that Bri cannot control at all. Because of this, it makes her feel even more vulnerable and alone—especially since they're arresting Aunt Pooh, one of Bri's closest friends and mentors. This becomes yet another traumatizing experience that makes Bri feel unsafe and unmoored in her community, though Curtis acts as a silver lining here.
Themes
Bri closes her eyes until she can breathe again and thanks Curtis for helping her. He explains that he waters Sister Daniels's plants while she's at work. Bri looks around at all the plants as Curtis notices something wrong with her Timb. Bri sees that one entire heel is gone. Curtis comforts Bri and then puts his own Nikes on Bri's feet, brushing off her concerns. He gets Bri a glass of water and sits on the sofa with her. Bri comments on his Spiderman socks, which she's surprised to see. She has the same pair.
The missing heel on Bri's fake Timb symbolizes for Bri that her world is falling apart. Though she was faking it with these Timbs to begin with, it's now clear that Bri is failing at this endeavor. Curtis's tenderness helps Bri to see that while there may be a number of horrible things outside of her control, she still has people to lean on and take comfort from.
Themes
They hear the SWAT officers closing a van door and Curtis offers condolences for Pooh. They sit in silence until Bri again thanks Curtis. They joke about Bri writing a song about him in thanks. He brushes tears off Bri's face and then kisses her, and Bri pulls him down on top of her.
This kiss with Curtis is a major counterpoint to Bri's kiss with Malik—in this one, Bri is actually into it, which suggests that she needed something to jolt her out of her funk with Malik so she could open herself up to new romantic possibilities.
Themes
