On Beauty

On Beauty

by

Zadie Smith

Levi Character Analysis

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 in streetwear, both of which seem to be inspired by hip-hop and other pop cultural representations of Blackness. Levi values authenticity above all else, and he believes that the most authentic version of Black life only happens in urban areas, not suburbs like the one he’s from. This quest for authenticity leads Levi to befriend the street-smart spoken word performer Carl, then later some street hawkers, including Felix and Chouchou. But all of these “authentic” Black men refuse to fit into Levi’s preexisting expectations, showing how Black identity is a complicated concept that stereotypes can’t fully capture.

Levi Quotes in On Beauty

The On Beauty quotes below are all either spoken by Levi or refer to Levi. 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:
The Nature of Beauty Theme Icon
).
The Anatomy Lesson: Chapter 5 Quotes

‘I don’t think that’s how things go down now,’ Levi said at last, gently, not wanting to disappoint his father, but needing to catch the bus. It was a nice enough story, but it was making him late for work.

Related Characters: Levi (speaker), Howard, Bailey
Related Symbols: Hip-hop
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:
The Anatomy Lesson: Chapter 9 Quotes

‘What’s your deal, man? Don’t take this strange, but . . . you don’t seem like the type of guy who would be doing this kind of thing. You know?’

‘How about this?’ said Choo quietly, again alarming Levi with his easy use of American idioms, albeit dipped in that exotic accent. ‘You leave me alone and I do my very best to leave you alone. You sell your movies. I sell these handbags. How would that be?’

Related Characters: Levi (speaker), Chouchou (speaker), Felix
Related Symbols: Hip-hop
Page Number: 247
Explanation and Analysis:
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 7 Quotes

For the first time it occurred to Howard that this gorgeous, single nineteen-year-old giving her attention to a 57-year-old married man (albeit with a full head of hair) might have other motives besides pure animal passion. Was he – as Levi would put it – being played?

Related Characters: Howard, Kiki, Monty, Levi, Victoria
Page Number: 343
Explanation and Analysis:
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 8 Quotes

Choo had been on his conscience. Because . . . because Choo wasn’t like the other guys in the team. He didn’t travel with the pack, didn’t screw around or go dancing, and he seemed, by contrast, lonely, isolated. Basically, Levi figured that Choo was just plain smarter than all the people around him, and Levi, who lived with people similarly cursed, felt that his own experience in this area (as a carer of smart folk) made him especially qualified to help Choo out.

Related Characters: Levi, Chouchou
Related Symbols: Hip-hop
Page Number: 357
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire On Beauty LitChart as a printable PDF.
On Beauty PDF

Levi Quotes in On Beauty

The On Beauty quotes below are all either spoken by Levi or refer to Levi. 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:
The Nature of Beauty Theme Icon
).
The Anatomy Lesson: Chapter 5 Quotes

‘I don’t think that’s how things go down now,’ Levi said at last, gently, not wanting to disappoint his father, but needing to catch the bus. It was a nice enough story, but it was making him late for work.

Related Characters: Levi (speaker), Howard, Bailey
Related Symbols: Hip-hop
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:
The Anatomy Lesson: Chapter 9 Quotes

‘What’s your deal, man? Don’t take this strange, but . . . you don’t seem like the type of guy who would be doing this kind of thing. You know?’

‘How about this?’ said Choo quietly, again alarming Levi with his easy use of American idioms, albeit dipped in that exotic accent. ‘You leave me alone and I do my very best to leave you alone. You sell your movies. I sell these handbags. How would that be?’

Related Characters: Levi (speaker), Chouchou (speaker), Felix
Related Symbols: Hip-hop
Page Number: 247
Explanation and Analysis:
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 7 Quotes

For the first time it occurred to Howard that this gorgeous, single nineteen-year-old giving her attention to a 57-year-old married man (albeit with a full head of hair) might have other motives besides pure animal passion. Was he – as Levi would put it – being played?

Related Characters: Howard, Kiki, Monty, Levi, Victoria
Page Number: 343
Explanation and Analysis:
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 8 Quotes

Choo had been on his conscience. Because . . . because Choo wasn’t like the other guys in the team. He didn’t travel with the pack, didn’t screw around or go dancing, and he seemed, by contrast, lonely, isolated. Basically, Levi figured that Choo was just plain smarter than all the people around him, and Levi, who lived with people similarly cursed, felt that his own experience in this area (as a carer of smart folk) made him especially qualified to help Choo out.

Related Characters: Levi, Chouchou
Related Symbols: Hip-hop
Page Number: 357
Explanation and Analysis: