On Beauty

On Beauty

by

Zadie Smith

On Beauty Characters

Howard

Howard Belsey is a white British professor at the (fictional) American university Wellington College. His name is a reference to Howard’s End, the novel that inspired On Beauty. Howard is married to Kikiread analysis of Howard

Kiki

Kiki, Howard’s wife, is a Black former hospital administrator from Florida. She and Howard are parents to Jerome, Zora, and Levi. Unlike Howard, Kiki does not consider herself to be an… read analysis of Kiki

Monty

Monty Kipps is a British professor of Trinidadian heritage who is known for his contrarian, conservative opinions, leading to his years-long rivalry with fellow Rembrandt scholar Howard. His wife is Carlene, and his… read analysis of Monty

Jerome

Jerome is a student at Brown and the eldest of Kiki and Howard’s three children. Jerome is a bit of an outsider in his own family—he’s the only family member who doesn’t live in… read analysis of Jerome

Zora

Zora is a sophomore at Wellington College. She is the middle child of Kiki and Howard, who is a professor at Wellington and has Zora in one of his classes. Out of all the… read analysis of Zora
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Levi

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… read analysis of Levi

Carlene

Carlene is a Black British woman who devotes her life to her family, which consists of her husband, Monty, and her two children, Michael and Victoria. But despite Carlene’s warmth and seeming openness… read analysis of Carlene

Carl

Carl is a 16-year-old poetry prodigy who crosses paths with the Belsey family several times, particularly Levi and Zora. Levi admires Carl for his authentic street smarts while Zora admires him for his natural… read analysis of Carl

Victoria

Victoria Kipps is Monty and Carlene’s beautiful 18-year-old daughter who enrolls as a freshman at Wellington College after Monty accepts a position there. Back when the Kipps family lived in London, Jerome stayed with… read analysis of Victoria

Erskine

Erskine is a professor of African Literature at Wellington, and he is Howard’s closest friend on campus. He is short, Black, and bald, making him the physical opposite of Howard, who is tall and… read analysis of Erskine

Chouchou

Chouchou (or “Choo” as he reluctantly lets Levi call him) is a Haitian street hawker who works with Felix. He speaks in monosyllables while he’s working, but he surprises Levi by speaking eloquently when… read analysis of Chouchou

Claire

Claire is a famous poet who is one of the biggest names at Wellington College. She marries Warren later in life. But around that time, she also has an affair with Howard, even though… read analysis of Claire

Dean French

Dean Jack French is the leadership figure at Wellington College who, among other things, oversees the ongoing debate between Monty and Howard. Even by academic standards, the dean is noteworthy for being long-winded and… read analysis of Dean French

Chantelle

Chantelle is a student in Claire’s poetry class whom Claire finds interesting. Chantelle always respects authority and usually writes poems about Black struggle. She interns for Monty and has a sexual relationship with him… read analysis of Chantelle

Felix

Felix is an Angolan street hawker who, to Levi, is the epitome of urban Blackness. But as Levi spends more time with the street hawkers, particularly Chouchou, he learns that Black identity is… read analysis of Felix
Minor Characters
Michael
Michael is a tall businessman of Caribbean heritage. He is the son of Monty and Carlene and the brother of Victoria. Like Monty, he is deeply conservative and religious, and also like Monty, this makes him oblivious to the hidden challenges that the women in his family are facing.
Smith
Smith is Howard’s teaching assistant. He is one of Howard’s few but devoted fans, and he constantly nudges Howard to accept new technology like PowerPoint presentations and cell phones.
Harold
Harold is Howard’s father. Being a butcher from a working-class area of London, he shares little in common with his academic son. Harold’s racism is also part why Howard stays away from his father, since Howard’s wife, Kiki, is Black.
Monique
Monique is the Haitian cleaner for the Belsey family. Despite Howard’s supposedly liberal values, he doesn’t pay Monique well, which is a sign of his hypocrisy.
Warren
Warren is Claire’s longtime partner who eventually marries her—right around the same time when she cheats on him with Howard.
Lydia
Lydia is an administrative assistant who helps Dean French and others in the humanities department. Unlike the dean, she knows how to speak clearly and to the point.
Christian
Christian is a graduate student at Wellington who is a fan of Howard’s. Although he can talk about weighty topics, he struggles with everyday situations, like when the Belseys’ dog Murdoch starts to bother him.
LaShonda
LaShonda is a coworker of Levi’s at the music megastore who, like most of Levi’s other Black coworkers, declines to join his strike because she needs to keep working to earn money to support her children.
Katie
At age 16, Katie is one of the youngest students at Wellington College, and she is in awe of everything she sees, particularly in Howard’s class.
Tom
Tom is a coworker of Levi’s at the music megastore who is white and works in the folk section. Although his musical tastes differ greatly from Levi’s, they share similar politics.
Bailey
Bailey is Levi’s supervisor at the music megastore. He is a Black man in his forties, and he is strict about following workplace rules to the letter.
Ron
Ron is a student in Claire’s poetry class who is friends with Zora and mostly writes poems about sex.
Daisy
Daisy is a student in Claire’s poetry class who is friends with Zora and mostly writes poems about New York City.
Yousef
Yousef is the owner of a Moroccan restaurant, which he inherited from his parents. To attract a younger crowd, he converted the basement into a performing arts space called the Bus Stop, where poets like Carl perform spoken word.
Meredith
Meredith is a friend of Christian’s who likes to wear elaborate outfits to parties, including Howard and Kiki’s 30th anniversary party.
Candy
Candy is a coworker of Levi’s at the music megastore who is white and who works in the alternative music section.
Doc Brown
Doc Brown is the MC at the Bus Stop, a local performing arts space that unites several characters in the story, including Levi, Carl, Claire, and Zora.
Joan
Joan is Howard’s mother who died when he was young.
Amelia
Amelia is Michael’s fiancé, who is English and the daughter of Jamaican immigrants.
Carol
Carol is a religious woman who helps take care of Harold.