Seven Character Analysis in The Hate U Give

Starr’s older half-brother, Seven is the son of Maverick and Iesha. He frequently stays at the Carter house, and attends Williamson with Starr and Sekani. Seven is fiercely protective of both Starr and his other sister Kenya, but has a strained relationship with his mother Iesha, whom he feels always chooses her boyfriend King over her son, and eventually kicks him out of the house. When Iesha fails to attend his high school graduation but shows up at his birthday party uninvited, Seven screams that he is ashamed of her before breaking down in tears. Even so, he feels it is his duty to protect his mother. Seven is a strong presence in Starr’s life, evidenced by the fact that he picks her up from school and plays basketball with her once a month. He drives Starr, DeVante, and Chris around on the night of the riots, and has, along with Starr, memorized the Black Panther’s Ten-Point Program. He is accepted to six colleges, yet wishes to remain in Garden Heights to look after his mother and sister. Maverick encourages him to take advantage of the opportunities he has been given.

Seven Quotes in The Hate U Give

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

“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: Seven (speaker), DeVante, Chris

Page Number and Citation: 401

Explanation and Analysis:

Seven Character Timeline in The Hate U Give

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

Dueling Identities and Double Consciousness Theme Icon

...school. Kenya also calls Starr out on her clothes—she’s wearing a hoodie from Kenya’s brother, Seven. Starr clarifies that Seven is both hers and Kenya’s brother. Kenya’s mom is Seven’s mom,... (full context)

The Cycle of Poverty and Crime Theme Icon

Seven texts Starr, worried about where she is. Starr and Khalil laugh about Seven’s overprotectiveness and... (full context)

...with Maverick following the Black Panther’s Ten-Point Program more closely than the Bible. At breakfast, Seven discusses how King, a major neighborhood drug dealer, has moved in with his girlfriend, Seven’s... (full context)

Seven asks why they shot Khalil, and Starr responds that she and Khalil didn’t do anything... (full context)

...has not responded to from her boyfriend Chris, who is white. She notes that while Seven and Lisa know about Chris and have accepted the relationship. Starr is frightened to tell... (full context)

...to jail on his behalf, and further warns him not to lay a hand on Seven. King takes Kenya and speeds away. (full context)

...about not being there for part of his children’s lives: Carlos took care of Starr, Seven, and Lisa while Maverick was in prison for three years, and is a surrogate father... (full context)

...that no one at school mentions Khalil. At the end of the day she finds Seven with his girlfriend Layla, another black student at Williamson who is “smart enough for Harvard... (full context)

...her parents in that moment. Iesha, a prostitute, is the “Achilles heel” of their marriage; Seven is the result of a “for-hire” session between her and Maverick. (full context)

...Next?”, and “Enough Is Enough.” News vans have arrived as well. Maverick says he wants Seven and Sekani to be a part of the march, but Lisa insists on taking Starr... (full context)

That night, Starr has a vivid nightmare about Natasha’s death. The next morning Seven bangs on her bedroom door, reminding her that it’s the day of their monthly basketball... (full context)

Starr and Seven play basketball, but then two young teens in the colors of the Garden Disciples approach.... (full context)

Starr initially thinks DeVante is cute, until he calls her “li’l mamma”; Starr hates nicknames. Seven introduces them and Starr realizes this is the same DeVante Kenya fought over at Big... (full context)

Maverick pulls up to the basketball court, furious that Starr and Seven left the house without telling him or Lisa. He rants as he drives them home,... (full context)

...basketball team who is white, refused to join the protest as well. She, Starr, Chris, Seven, and Layla joke that they are protesting the “Get Out of Class Protest.” (full context)

...to comfort him, while Sekani asks his siblings why the officers treated “daddy like that”? Seven comforts his little brother. Tim says that the officers humiliated him in order to scare... (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... (full context)

...Just Us for Justice office, which occupies an old Taco Bell. Maverick used to take Seven and Starr there right after he got out of prison and did not have much... (full context)

...and that he is determined to get the family out of Garden Heights. After dinner, Seven tells Sekani that he won’t be leaving. He will go to community college to stay... (full context)

Seven and Layla tap on the car door, and the four go back inside the prom.... (full context)

...Inside smells of fresh paint. The kitchen has granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances. As Starr, Seven, and Sekani look around with wonder and confusion, Lisa announces that she got the job... (full context)

Lisa says they hope to get settled before Seven goes off to college, so that he has time to make his room his own.... (full context)

Starr shouts that she refuses to testify anymore. In response, Maverick makes her, Sekani, and Seven recite lines from the Black Panthers’ Ten-Point Program that call for an end to police... (full context)

...fellow cops. Carlos screams at Maverick, pointing out all he did to raise Starr and Seven while Maverick was in prison. Every time Iesha dropped Seven off, often for weeks, he... (full context)

...Carters to the courthouse. Starr flashes back to many years earlier, when Carlos drove her, Seven, and a sobbing Lisa to the courthouse to say goodbye to Maverick before he was... (full context)

...two weeks since Starr talked to the grand jury and eight weeks since Khalil’s death. Seven drives Starr to school, and appears on guard even at Williamson; he has grown more... (full context)

...laugh and pull out their phones to record it. When Hailey’s brother Remy gets involved, Seven jumps in. Starr notes that they both know how to fight, Maverick having often taken... (full context)

...are not expelled, because the headmaster takes pity on Starr “given the circumstances.” Lisa scolds Seven and Starr, saying they behaved in the way the world expected them to. Starr finally... (full context)

...for Memorial Day at his house that also serves as a joint birthday/graduation party for Seven, who has just turned eighteen and finished high school. Maverick cried when he saw his... (full context)

...security guard of Carlos’s gated complex: Iesha is at the gate. She did not attend Seven’s graduation, and was not invited to the party. Seven walks to the gate, followed by... (full context)

Seven explodes with hurt and rage, telling Iesha he is so ashamed of her that he... (full context)

Back in the house, Seven is sobbing uncontrollably. Lisa comforts him, and Maverick instructs Kenya and Starr to go back... (full context)

Seven calls, demanding to know where Starr is. He then says DeVante is missing. Starr’s stomach... (full context)

...King beat him up, and when Kenya tried to stop the fight, King pushed her. Seven immediately tries to go to the backyard to confront King, but the others hold him... (full context)

Iesha smirks when Seven asks her for help, and scoffs at his calling her “momma.” Starr knows that if... (full context)

...make sure they have left, and Starr realizes she is distracting King to help them. Seven is deeply hurt until he realizes this too. Kenya points out that with everyone else... (full context)

The car is silent as Seven drives to his grandmother’s house. Starr can’t understand what went wrong, or why Khalil didn’t... (full context)

Seven drops Kenya and Lyric at their grandmother’s house as riots erupt in Garden Heights. Seven... (full context)

...feels out of place in the crowd, and realizes this must be how Starr and Seven feel at Williamson. They climb atop a bus for a better view, and see King... (full context)

...bottles at the cops. Someone throws a Molotov cocktail, and the group runs back to Seven’s car to drive away from the riots. While in the car, DeVante defends the rioters... (full context)

...but the mood becomes slightly tense when Chris asks why black people have “odd names.” Seven points out that Chris is judging things from a “white standard,” that many of these... (full context)

Seven tries to avoid the protests, but many streets are blocked off by the police. When... (full context)

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

...police continue 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... (full context)

...volleys it back 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... (full context)

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

Kenya then apologizes to Starr for always calling Seven “my” brother instead of “our” brother. She says she felt insecure about their relationship, fearing... (full context)

Seven Character Analysis

Seven Quotes in The Hate U Give

Chapter 23 Quotes

Seven Character Timeline in The Hate U Give