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On the Come Up by Angie Thomas - Literary Elements Analysis (Symbolism…

- - - - “See, your daddy was real disrespectful, walking around with that crown on his chain and calling himself the King of the Garden while rolling with them Disciple bitches,” the Crown says. “So you gon’ right his wrong and hand that shit over.” (290)
        
        The Crown holds Bri at gunpoint and demands her to hand over the chain. When the chain was taken away, it represented Bri’s change in mindset. By losing the chain, Bri recognized the importance of being independent and decided to separate her own identity from her father and make her own music, instead of following her dad’s footsteps. She learned that her dad was controlled by music producers, which led him to be involved with the Crown gang, who ultimately assassinated him.
  - - - There are three main encounters of Timbs in the story: the Fake Timbs, Supreme's gift and at the charity drive
    - - “I throw my Vader hoodie back on and slip on my Not-Timbs. Nah, they’re not the real deal. The real deal costs a water bill. Those cost twenty bucks at the swap meet. I try to pull them off like they are Timbs except—–
        Some of the black “leather” on one has rubbed off, revealing white cloth. This happened to the other last week. I take a black Sharpie and go to work. Ratchet, but I gotta do what I gotta do.” (48)
        
        In this quotation, Bri’s fake Timbs act as a symbol of her financial struggle. Her family often fails to pay bills on time and they live in a poverty-stricken neighbourhood. Due to Bri's socioeconomic status, she's unable to afford a real pair and attempts to hide her current living conditions and struggles (living as an aspiring rapper without much money) by making an effort to disguise the flaws on her fake ones and act as if they're the real deal.
    - - “I cover my mouth to hold back the sob. Jacksons don’t cry, especially not in community centers with eyes full of pity and news cameras looking for pitiful moments. I suck it up, literally suck it up by taking a deep breath, and put the boots on the table.” (164)
        
        When Bri's family visits the local community centre's charity giveaway (they were in need of food), Bri discovers a pair of real Timbs her size at the shoe table. After debating with herself, she decided to put them back on the table. Bri mentions that she didn’t want to become a beggar and be judged by others. Her refusal of the boots symbolized her pride and dignity. This also represented her unwillingness to accept help. At this point in the story, she refused the help of Supreme, a manager of rap artists who used to manage Bri’s father, because she couldn’t leave her Aunt Pooh (who acted as her manager) to hire someone else.
    - - Supreme sees Bri’s potential and has been regularly seeking her out and to try to convince her to hire him as her manager. Later on, Bri accepts a pair of Timbs from Supreme and agrees to hire him. Here, Bri sees the new Timbs as a symbol of her selling out. Although she’s very content with the Timbs, she views the gift as a reminder of her betrayal towards Aunt Pooh since she agreed to let Supreme manage her instead. After accepting the gift, Bri also deliberately hides them from her family and friends because of her guilt.
  - - - Bri, Sonny and Malik make multiple Black Panther references throughout the book. In the Marvel cinematic universe, Black Panther was the first black superhero to be given a solo movie and it’s the first to have an African American director with a predominantly black cast. The movie has been praised to have showcased African culture positively and represented people of colour as strong and powerful heroes. Their references to the Black Panther movie is symbolic of their pride and love for the black community, as the three of them are all African Americans.
    - - In this quote, there are references to Malcolm X and the Black Panthers, who are both symbols of leadership and important figures involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Malcolm X was an African American leader, minister and supporter of black nationalism. The Black Panthers Party was an African American political organization founded in 1966, whose purpose was to challenge police brutality against the African American community. This example shows Bri, Sonny and Malik’s strong bond with their ethnic background since they acknowledge these famous and influential figures in African American history in their day-to-day lives.
- - - - Throughout the novel, there are many depictions of poverty and this is shown through Bri’s home life. Her family constantly struggles to pay their bills on time and they usually need to choose between paying for food or for utilities. In this quote, it shows the reader a clear image of what Bri’s living conditions and home environment is like. The chilliness of her house can be imagined and felt through reading this passage. This scene is one of the first encounters of Bri’s family’s financial conflicts and scenes similar to this (where gas is cut off) are recurring.
  - - - This quote displayed Bri’s strong attraction towards the professional music studio. Her dream is to become a rap artist, so places like this will undoubtedly fascinate her. Along with Bri’s descriptions, the reader can imagine what the studio looks like, with details such as the buttons, speakers, the large window and a microphone...etc. Bri also compares the studio to heaven, well at least something close to it, and this comparison encourages the reader to feel Bri’s excitement and happiness because heaven is often referred to as an ideal place where we want to be or a place where peace and happiness are found. This scene was a very special moment in Bri’s life because it’s the first time she’s been in a professional studio and it's truly a once in a lifetime moment for her because of her circumstances.
  - - - This scene was from after Bri finished performing in the ring for the last time before the book ended. This quote was very impactful because it was the point in Bri’s life where she understood her purpose. After experiencing this stage, Bri realized that she was born to rap and she became absolutely sure that this was what she wanted to do in life. This performance acted as a milestone because it was extremely fulfilling for her. Bri states that being on stage felt like the whole world was hers, with this statement, the reader can imagine and feel Bri’s passion for rapping and being on stage. Bri’s thrill and joy are also depicted in this scene because what she imagined as a little girl, standing on stage and having a crowd chant her name, became reality.
- - - - Bri expresses her thoughts about the people at church in her community, who are constantly judging and gossiping about her family. Bri sees the irony in this because although the people attend church every Sunday, they don’t seem to apply the teachings of Jesus. The people in her community know that her family is financially struggling, but rather than being kind to them or reaching out to help, they gossip and judge them instead.
  - - - Irony exists in Bri’s family and neighbourhood. The people who are doing wrong things are financially successful, while the people who are doing the right things aren’t financially rewarded. Aunt Pooh, who is a drug dealer, is the only member of the family that makes enough money to support herself and often helps Jay, Bri’s mother, to pay bills and buy groceries. In Bri’s neighbourhood, drug dealers and gang leaders aren’t looked down upon, since they’re the ones who live without any financial struggle.
      - Trey's Irony
        
        “He graduated with honors. Worked his ass off to get there in the first place, only to have to come back to the hood and work in a pizza shop. It’s bullshit, and it scares me, because if Trey can’t make it by doing everything “right”, who can?” (97)
        
        Bri narrates her brother Trey, who is an academically gifted student who attended a good college and earned a degree in psychology. Even though he’s doing everything right, he still came back to Garden Heights to help his family make ends meet and can’t get a job other than working in a pizza shop. This is ironic because Trey has done everything he’s supposed to succeed (here success means making a lot of money), but he hasn’t gotten what he deserves by doing what’s “right”.