On the Come Up

by

Angie Thomas

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on On the Come Up makes teaching easy.

Curtis Character Analysis

One of Bri's classmates. When the reader first meets Curtis, Bri doesn't like him. He's a tattletale and makes outrageous claims about all sorts of things, something he's done since elementary school. His claims often have to do with his mom, whom he insists is off doing something fantastic with celebrities when in actuality, she's in jail. Because of this, Curtis lives with his grandmother, Sister Daniels. This doesn't make Bri think any better of Curtis given that Bri’s Grandma and Sister Daniels are enemies. Bri begins to reevaluate her opinion of Curtis when he says very seriously that he hates the way that Long and Tate treat students of color and doesn't believe that Bri deserved to be manhandled. After this, Bri begins to see Curtis as a potential romantic interest, though she still finds him obnoxious and too full of himself. There's definite chemistry between Bri and Curtis, but it doesn't come to head until Curtis pulls Bri to safety when a SWAT unit comes to his and Aunt Pooh's apartment complex to arrest Garden Disciples. Curtis comforts Bri and starts to look more human and interesting when Bri notices that he wears Spiderman socks. They kiss and it's as exciting as Bri always wanted. As their official relationship develops, Curtis shows that he's willing to do anything to impress Bri and he often comforts her and offers encouragement. He's presumably college-bound, as he's studying for the SAT at the novel’s end.

Curtis Quotes in On the Come Up

The On the Come Up quotes below are all either spoken by Curtis or refer to Curtis. 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:
Identity and Individuality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 14 Quotes

There I am, on the front page of Blackout. They posted a picture from when I was in the Ring. The headline? "Teen Daughter of Murdered Underground Rap Legend Lawless Just Killed Us Her Damn Self with This New Heat!"

Side note: Do I have a name or nah? It's short enough that it could've fit, too.

Related Characters: Bri (speaker), Malik, Curtis, Lawless / Bri’s Dad
Related Symbols: Bri’s Song, "On the Come Up"
Page Number: 199
Explanation and Analysis:

"What's wrong with what you say?"

"I talk about guns and stuff, Curtis. He doesn't want people to think that's me."

"They're gonna think it anyway. If you can get something from this, forget the nonsense and go for it."

Related Characters: Bri (speaker), Curtis (speaker), Malik
Related Symbols: Bri’s Song, "On the Come Up"
Page Number: 201
Explanation and Analysis:
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On the Come Up PDF

Curtis Quotes in On the Come Up

The On the Come Up quotes below are all either spoken by Curtis or refer to Curtis. 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:
Identity and Individuality Theme Icon
).
Chapter 14 Quotes

There I am, on the front page of Blackout. They posted a picture from when I was in the Ring. The headline? "Teen Daughter of Murdered Underground Rap Legend Lawless Just Killed Us Her Damn Self with This New Heat!"

Side note: Do I have a name or nah? It's short enough that it could've fit, too.

Related Characters: Bri (speaker), Malik, Curtis, Lawless / Bri’s Dad
Related Symbols: Bri’s Song, "On the Come Up"
Page Number: 199
Explanation and Analysis:

"What's wrong with what you say?"

"I talk about guns and stuff, Curtis. He doesn't want people to think that's me."

"They're gonna think it anyway. If you can get something from this, forget the nonsense and go for it."

Related Characters: Bri (speaker), Curtis (speaker), Malik
Related Symbols: Bri’s Song, "On the Come Up"
Page Number: 201
Explanation and Analysis: