On Beauty

On Beauty

by

Zadie Smith

Victoria Character Analysis

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 them and had a very brief romance with Victoria. They had sex and even planned to marry, but the engagement ended badly, adding to the longstanding feud between Monty and Jerome’s father, Howard. Victoria’s family views her as chaste and obedient, but she rebels against this: after her fling with Jerome, she has sex with the much-older Howard and then sends him nude photos as email attachments before moving on to the young spoken word artist Carl. Victoria shows how conservative morals can be stifling, particularly for a young Black woman—and how, paradoxically, these strict morals might lead people to rebel against them.

Victoria Quotes in On Beauty

The On Beauty quotes below are all either spoken by Victoria or refer to Victoria. 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
).
Kipps and Belsey: Chapter 1 Quotes

Hey, Dad – basically I’m just going to keep on keeping on with these mails – I’m no longer expecting you to reply, but I’m still hoping you will, if that makes sense.

Related Characters: Jerome (speaker), Howard, Monty, Victoria
Page Number: 3
Explanation and Analysis:
Kipps and Belsey: Chapter 2 Quotes

Kiki slapped the table. ‘Oh, God, this isn’t 1910 – Jerome can marry who the hell he wants to marry – or are we going to start making up visiting cards and asking him to meet only the daughters of academics that you happen to –’

‘Might the address be in the green moleskin?’

Related Characters: Howard (speaker), Kiki (speaker), Monty, Jerome, Carlene, Victoria
Page Number: 15
Explanation and Analysis:
Kipps and Belsey: Chapter 4 Quotes

‘It’s about trying,’ said Michael keenly – the topic seemed to animate him. ‘It’s like, if you put the effort in. And I spose my mum’s always been at home, which makes a lot of difference, I think. Having the mother figure and all that. Nurturing. It’s like a Caribbean ideal – a lot of people lose sight of it.’

Related Characters: Michael (speaker), Howard, Monty, Carlene, Victoria
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:
Kipps and Belsey: Chapter 12 Quotes

‘Tell them to calm themselves. It’s only hip-hop. It won’t kill them.’

Related Characters: Victoria (speaker), Howard, Kiki, Monty, Claire, Michael
Related Symbols: Hip-hop
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis:
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 4 Quotes

‘But your class – your class is a cult classic. I love your class. Your class is all about never ever saying I like the tomato. That’s why so few people take it – I mean, no offence, it’s a compliment.’

Related Characters: Victoria (speaker), Howard, Carlene
Page Number: 312
Explanation and Analysis:
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 5 Quotes

Monty put his hands on each side of his own belly. ‘Really, Dr Belsey, this is too stupid to answer. Surely a man can write a piece of prose without “intending” any particular reaction, or at least he can and will write without presuming every end or consequence of that piece of prose.’

Related Characters: Monty (speaker), Howard, Kiki, Victoria, Claire, Dean French
Page Number: 327
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 10 Quotes

Kiki looked up. ‘Howard, I love you. But I’m just not interested in watching this second adolescence. I had my adolescence. I can’t go through yours again.’

Related Characters: Kiki (speaker), Howard, Victoria
Page Number: 398
Explanation and Analysis:
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 12 Quotes

‘Well, my God. What a tricky bastard. Moral majority my arse. Well, you’ve got him. My God! You should go in there and spit-roast him. Destroy him!’

Zora forced her fake nails, left over from the party, into the underside of the table top. ‘That’s your advice?”

Related Characters: Howard (speaker), Zora (speaker), Monty, Jerome, Carl, Victoria, Chantelle
Page Number: 432
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire On Beauty LitChart as a printable PDF.
On Beauty PDF

Victoria Quotes in On Beauty

The On Beauty quotes below are all either spoken by Victoria or refer to Victoria. 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
).
Kipps and Belsey: Chapter 1 Quotes

Hey, Dad – basically I’m just going to keep on keeping on with these mails – I’m no longer expecting you to reply, but I’m still hoping you will, if that makes sense.

Related Characters: Jerome (speaker), Howard, Monty, Victoria
Page Number: 3
Explanation and Analysis:
Kipps and Belsey: Chapter 2 Quotes

Kiki slapped the table. ‘Oh, God, this isn’t 1910 – Jerome can marry who the hell he wants to marry – or are we going to start making up visiting cards and asking him to meet only the daughters of academics that you happen to –’

‘Might the address be in the green moleskin?’

Related Characters: Howard (speaker), Kiki (speaker), Monty, Jerome, Carlene, Victoria
Page Number: 15
Explanation and Analysis:
Kipps and Belsey: Chapter 4 Quotes

‘It’s about trying,’ said Michael keenly – the topic seemed to animate him. ‘It’s like, if you put the effort in. And I spose my mum’s always been at home, which makes a lot of difference, I think. Having the mother figure and all that. Nurturing. It’s like a Caribbean ideal – a lot of people lose sight of it.’

Related Characters: Michael (speaker), Howard, Monty, Carlene, Victoria
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:
Kipps and Belsey: Chapter 12 Quotes

‘Tell them to calm themselves. It’s only hip-hop. It won’t kill them.’

Related Characters: Victoria (speaker), Howard, Kiki, Monty, Claire, Michael
Related Symbols: Hip-hop
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis:
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 4 Quotes

‘But your class – your class is a cult classic. I love your class. Your class is all about never ever saying I like the tomato. That’s why so few people take it – I mean, no offence, it’s a compliment.’

Related Characters: Victoria (speaker), Howard, Carlene
Page Number: 312
Explanation and Analysis:
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 5 Quotes

Monty put his hands on each side of his own belly. ‘Really, Dr Belsey, this is too stupid to answer. Surely a man can write a piece of prose without “intending” any particular reaction, or at least he can and will write without presuming every end or consequence of that piece of prose.’

Related Characters: Monty (speaker), Howard, Kiki, Victoria, Claire, Dean French
Page Number: 327
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 10 Quotes

Kiki looked up. ‘Howard, I love you. But I’m just not interested in watching this second adolescence. I had my adolescence. I can’t go through yours again.’

Related Characters: Kiki (speaker), Howard, Victoria
Page Number: 398
Explanation and Analysis:
On Beauty and Being Wrong: Chapter 12 Quotes

‘Well, my God. What a tricky bastard. Moral majority my arse. Well, you’ve got him. My God! You should go in there and spit-roast him. Destroy him!’

Zora forced her fake nails, left over from the party, into the underside of the table top. ‘That’s your advice?”

Related Characters: Howard (speaker), Zora (speaker), Monty, Jerome, Carl, Victoria, Chantelle
Page Number: 432
Explanation and Analysis: