DeVante Character Analysis in The Hate U Give

Devante is a teenager from Garden Heights whose brother is killed at Big D’s party in the beginning of the story. He becomes involved with the King Lords to help support his family, and at one point sold drugs with Khalil. DeVante steals from King to help his mother and sister flee Garden Heights, and then turns to Maverick for guidance on getting out of the gang. DeVante is later taken in by Carlos and Pam. He helps Starr understand that people turn to gangs and drugs when they don’t have other choices, and that being a King Lord offered him the sort of protection and support he’d never had before in his life. He also is the one to tell Starr that Khalil wasn’t in a gang and only sold drugs to pay back his mother’s debt. His words help Starr realize that even if Khalil were a “thug,” that should not have been a death sentence. DeVante has a flirtatious relationship with Kenya, despite the fact that her father is after him. King beats DeVante badly in the end of the novel, but he is saved from potentially being killed by Chris, Starr, and Seven. He agrees to “turn witness” on King at the end of the novel in order to help the Garden Heights community.

DeVante Quotes in The Hate U Give

The The Hate U Give quotes below are all either spoken by DeVante or refer to DeVante. 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:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Harper Collins edition of The Hate U Give published in 2017.

“Anyway, Chris,” Seven says, “DeVante's got a point. What makes his name or our names any less normal than yours? Who or what defines 'normal' to you? If my pops were here, he'd say you've fallen into the trap of the white standard.”

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Page Number and Citation: 401

Explanation and Analysis:

DeVante Character Timeline in The Hate U Give

The timeline below shows where the character DeVante appears in The Hate U Give. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...a bag of Cheetos with Starr as a means of comforting her. She says that DeVante, a boy from Big D’s party, finally asked for her number. Starr wishes she had... (full context)

The Cycle of Poverty and Crime Theme Icon

...he says he is neutral, the teens demand he and Starr hand over their things. DeVante, a King Lord around Starr’s age sitting nearby, intervenes. He asserts that Rose Park is... (full context)

Starr initially thinks DeVante is cute, until he calls her “li’l mamma”; Starr hates nicknames. Seven introduces them and... (full context)

When Maverick and Starr arrive back at the store they find DeVante. It becomes clear that he is trying to hide from someone; he finally admits he... (full context)

Maverick agrees to help DeVante get free of King, and says he can start by working in the store. While... (full context)

...that has been happening. Maverick asks Starr to get her old laptop to give to DeVante for school. (full context)

Starr brings her old laptop to Seven’s room, where he and DeVante are playing video games. She notices the Slytherin blanket on Seven’s bed and notes that... (full context)

...word “murder” to describe Khalil’s death. Maverick arrives late, explaining that he had to get DeVante situated at the shop to watch over Mr. Lewis, fearing King’s retaliation for Mr. Lewis’s... (full context)

Maverick then gets a phone call from a frantic DeVante about something the others don’t hear, and says they are on their way. (full context)

...stitches”—they get “graves.” Mr. Lewis scoffs at their concerns. He says they were really after DeVante—that King will kill him when he finds him, and that King also knows Maverick is... (full context)

Maverick furiously grabs DeVante by the neck, slams him against a freezer, and asks what is going on; he... (full context)

DeVante reveals that King wanted him to kill the men who shot Dalvin, which would only... (full context)

...is surprised to see Carlos at home in sweats in the middle of a workday. DeVante is impressed by the size of Carlos and Pam’s home, but worried about staying with... (full context)

...say as they argue about Chris being white. Lisa then grows angry that Maverick got DeVante—“somebody else’s child”—out of Garden Heights, yet insists his own family continue to live there. Maverick... (full context)

Chris, feeling awkward, says he should go and leaves. DeVante comes into the kitchen and teases Starr about dating a white boy, whom he jokingly... (full context)

To Starr’s surprise, DeVante says that Khalil used to talk about her. He also asserts that Khalil was not... (full context)

...to explain that if only the world knew the reason why Khalil was selling drugs—but DeVante finishes her thought: they would not call Khalil a “thug” like him. DeVante says he... (full context)

King pulls up to the store in his gray BMW and asks for DeVante’s whereabouts. Maverick denies knowing where he is. King then says he knows Starr is the... (full context)

Starr continues, telling the world that Khalil was not in a gang. Thinking of DeVante, Starr asserts that even if he were, that does not make his killing acceptable. The... (full context)

...in the pool and the adults dance to old-school hip hop music. Kenya flirts with DeVante, who happily says that Carlos and Pam have agreed to let him live there for... (full context)

...Things are slightly tense at first as the two groups greet each other. Chris and DeVante slap palms. Kenya introduces herself to Chris and then compliments Maya on her sneakers; Maya... (full context)

Seven calls, demanding to know where Starr is. He then says DeVante is missing. Starr’s stomach drops, and she and Chris agree to help find him. Seven... (full context)

Kenya leads the group to Iesha’s bedroom, where DeVante is huddled on the floor in pain. Blood is all over the carpet and drips... (full context)

The group asks DeVante why he walked off, and he tells them he wanted to visit his brother, Dalvin,... (full context)

...runs back to Seven’s car to drive away from the riots. While in the car, DeVante defends the rioters by saying peaceful protests haven’t worked, and echoing Starr’s words that because... (full context)

DeVante is impressed that Chris knew NWA lyrics. The atmosphere in the car lightens as they... (full context)

...her family. Chris says maybe they can go to Taco Bell together someday, which makes DeVante laugh. Chris says he wants Starr to know he will go anywhere with her, no... (full context)

DeVante clutches his side, and Seven asks if King kicked him with his boots. Seven notes... (full context)

...to tell people to disperse. The chant echoes all around them, and Chris, Seven, and DeVante join in. Starr eventually does too, screaming as loud as she can and putting her... (full context)

...and even more chaos erupts as everyone scatters. Starr manages to find Seven, Chris, and DeVante through the stampede, but they are all being choked by thick white smoke. They spot... (full context)

...He and the reporter then get back in the truck, leaving Starr, Seven, Chris, and DeVante alone in the store. (full context)

An ambulance arrives and tends to DeVante. Starr and Chris hold hands, and Starr is grateful that they went through the craziness... (full context)

The police take King and his boys away in their patrol cars. DeVante asks Carlos if he is going to kick him out for walking off without telling... (full context)

DeVante asks if knowing where King’s stash was would help them put King away for good.... (full context)

...police raided their house and needed to ask Iesha questions, causing Starr to realize that DeVante must have talked to the cops already. (full context)