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Chapter 3
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in On the Come Up, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Identity and Individuality
Racism and Prejudice
Trauma, Poverty, and Childhood
Control, Image, and Fame
Summary
Analysis
Hours later, Bri dreams her recurring nightmare. In it, she's five. Lawless has been dead about a year. Jay puts Bri and Trey in the car and when Bri comments on the marks on Jay's arm, she says she's sick. Jay drives to Grandma and Granddaddy's house, at which point Trey begins to cry. Jay asks Trey to take Bri inside and says that she'll be back later. Jay kisses Bri and then drives away. Bri races into the street, screaming for Jay.
This dream—a memory—makes it abundantly clear that poverty and drug use can easily tear families apart and cause innumerable problems for children. Being left like this certainly forces Bri to continually reevaluate whether she can trust Jay to be there for her, since Jay made the choice once to not care for Bri.
Themes
Bri jerks awake and finds Jay sitting next to her. She explains to the reader that the nightmare is a memory: Jay did leave her children, as she couldn't keep up with both them and drugs. Bri started calling her mom “Jay” a few months later, after seeing Jay in the park with terrifying, bloodshot eyes. Jay didn't get custody again until five years ago. Bri doesn't want Jay to know she has these dreams, as she knows it'll make Jay feel guilty. Satisfied that Bri is okay, Jay says she got an email from Mrs. Murray about Bri's performance. She reminds Bri that she needs to focus on her education.
Bri's choice to begin calling her mom by her first name speaks to depth of the trauma that she experienced after being left. It's a reminder of how badly this event damaged Bri's relationship with her mom and in particular, her belief that she can trust her mom to care for her. Notice that Bri's nightmares haven't stopped, even though Bri has been living with her for five years and Jay seems to be doing well—these scars run deep.
Themes
Bri puts on her fake Timbs and notices that white cloth is showing through, so she takes a Sharpie to the spot. She's saving money to buy real Timbs and is about halfway there. She sells candy at school, which is against the rules. Bri races out to the bus and greets Mr. Watson. She explains to the reader that Midtown School of the Arts is in the nice neighborhood of Midtown. A few years ago, it started busing in students for a "diversity initiative." Bri heads for the back of the bus, sells Deon a candy bar, and is thrilled when he comments on her Ring performance. Now, rapping feels possible. Except for Curtis, an annoying kid, everyone on the bus compliments Bri.
Timbs—Timberland brand work boots—are often worn by New York hip-hop artists and for Bri, owning a pair will allow her to broadcast to the world that she's officially become one of them. Her plan to earn and save money to buy her own pair indicates that Bri has initiative and is able to make a plan and stick with it, something that speaks to her maturity. On the other hand, this focus on saving up for a single luxury item also shows her youth.
Themes
Mr. Watson pulls up at Sonny and Malik's houses. Bri hopes that Malik might notice her lip gloss, and tells the reader that she's had feelings for Malik since they were ten. Sonny and Malik congratulate Bri, insult Milez, and make Star Wars references before starting to punch each other. They stop when Sonny gets a text. Bri notices his face light up but can't see the name on the screen. He refuses to tell her who it is, so Bri thinks it must be a guy. At a stoplight, everyone on the bus rolls down their windows to heckle the Garden High students on the sidewalk, but Bri accepts compliments from several of them.
Everything that happens here between Bri, Sonny, and Malik reminds the reader that for all of Bri's struggles at home and with rapping, these are still three normal teenagers in the throes of adolescence. The inclusion of possible and unrequited romance like this makes it abundantly clear that this novel is about young people still figuring out who they are in the world.
Themes
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When the bus gets to Midtown, Bri feels herself fade into the background. She doesn't attract attention for anything good. She notices boys dancing to "Swagerific" as Sonny says he's doing SAT prep at lunch, while Malik needs to edit his most recent film. Bri thinks that she just has to get through one more year. They line up to go through security and wonder if the guards Long and Tate are still on a power trip: last week, they gave Curtis extra screenings even though the metal detector didn't go off. Malik grumbles and Bri explains that since the riots, Malik has gotten into Civil Rights stuff and the Black Panthers.
As far as Bri is concerned, "Swagerific" represents how low the bar is for making it big in the hip-hop world—remember her saying that it's not a good song, it's just catchy. Though she's not there yet, this does suggest that there's more to being successful as an artist than just crafting good music—which Bri can do. Instead, "Swagerific" is likely the product of someone with power and influence pulling strings.
Themes
Everyone goes through without an issue until Bri. Though the detectors don't go off, Long makes her go back through and then asks to search her bag. Bri panics: her candy stash is in there, and if they find it, she could be expelled. Malik starts to film as Bri snatches her backpack out of Long's reach. Long throws Bri to the ground and pulls her hands behind her, securing them with plastic wrap. He calls her a hoodlum and Bri says nothing. She's afraid and doesn't want to die.
The fact that Bri’s first thought is of not wanting to die makes it abundantly clear that people of color are unfairly targeted by police figures and face more extreme consequences when they are targeted, knowledge they live with at all times. It's also clear that Long and Tate's behavior is uncalled for in this situation, when simply sending her to the principal would do—Bri showed no signs of violence or anything that warrants handcuffs.
Themes
