On Beauty

Howard begrudgingly deals with marketing his courses for students, knowing that most of them won’t sign up or stick with his class. His colleague, Smith J. Miller, participates, and is more optimistic than Howard. Howard worries about his reputation with his colleagues. Kiki told Warren, Claire’s husband, about the affair. Warren and Claire stayed together, but now the gossip has reached the entire faculty of Wellington. Meanwhile, Howard and Kiki are still sleeping in separate rooms.

Zora meets with Dean French to discuss her rejection from Claire’s poetry class. Zora accuses Claire of rejecting her because of the drama between Claire and Howard. Zora threatens that she’ll take the matter of discrimination based on personal problems to the board. The Dean assures her he’ll investigate the matter.

Jack finds Claire on her way to class. Claire tells Jack she’s in despair over the state of American liberal education. Jack advocates for the university as a space to subvert societal norms, a space that must be protected for the good of democracy. Claire shows Jack a poem called “On Beauty” that decries the use of speech for the truly beautiful, the truly beautiful being those who are sad and different. Jack tells Claire he’ll send word to her class that she’ll be late because he urgently needs to speak with her.

Howard’s first day back to class starts with a usual challenge about the nature of art. He tries to remember visual cues about his new students, knowing that many of them will soon drop out. A female voice rings out to ask a question, and Howard notices Victoria Kipps. Victoria only wants to know what time class will be held, but Howard is transfixed by her beauty and by the oddity of Monty’s daughter in his classroom.

In her meeting with Jack, Claire insists that Zora simply has no poetic talent. Jack insists that Claire take Zora on as a student before Zora goes to the board. He reminds Claire that he often looks the other way when she accepts students in her class who are not enrolled in the university, part of Claire’s effort to make poetry education accessible. Claire bitterly agrees to admit Zora to her class.

Kiki orders a pie and brings it to Carlene’s house. She has been trying to reach Carlene for a while, but Monty always finds an excuse to turn Kiki away. Now, Kiki plans to go directly to Carlene to find out what’s going on with her. On her way to Carlene’s house, Kiki calls Jerome, who is back at Brown. Jerome doesn’t like the idea of his mother befriending Carlene, but he knows she’s going through a difficult time and ultimately supports her efforts to befriend a neighbor. Kiki is welcomed into the Kipps house and finds Carlene overwhelmed as she tries to reorganize Monty’s library.

Carlene has been ill, and it shows in her demeanor. Carlene broaches the topic of Jerome and Victoria. Kiki admits that she thinks Victoria is out of Jerome’s league. Carlene notes that Jerome was obsessed with Victoria, an obsession indicative of his desire to possess a pretty woman. Carlene states that Kiki must have been beautiful too. Kiki looks back on her time being an attractive woman, but she knows she never held the power that Victoria has.

Kiki admires one of Carlene’s paintings, a portrait of a Voodoo goddess named Erzulie, a symbol of “jealousy, vengeance and discord, and, on the other hand, of love, perpetual help, goodwill, health, beauty and fortune” (175). Kiki likes the idea of a woman who can destroy men. She realizes that Carlene knows about Howard’s affair. Kiki says she’ll be okay because she’s on a journey to discovering what she her life is for. Carlene disagrees and says that it’s a man job to figure out what life is for—it’s a woman’s job to find someone to live for. Kiki can see that Carlene genuinely believes this, so the women avoid an argument. Kiki tells Carlene that, at a certain time in American culture, Kiki was swept up by the idea that she could be with a woman, not a man. Carlene admits that even her husband, a conservative Christian, has gay friends. She and Carlene chat about the things that connect them, namely their children. Kiki fails to find out what Carlene’s diagnosis is.

Levi has started to feel questionable about his job at the large corporate record store he works for. When he hears a rumor that employees will be required to work on Christmas, Howard encourages him to gather a team of fellow employees to take direct action. Levi invites his colleagues to have a meeting away from the boss but is disappointed that only the white employees show up. Levi proposes a sit-in, but the others are worried that a protest will only get them fired. They are interrupted by their manager Bailey. Levi attempts to connect with Bailey, who is also Black. Bailey takes him aside to tell him that he knows exactly where he’s from, so Levi shouldn’t try to pull the “brother” act with him. Levi quits and heads home, his father’s speech about real change echoing in his mind.

Kiki is admiring the changing seasons outside when Zora interrupts her reverie for breakfast. Zora acts annoyed that Kiki is observing the weather. When Kiki says she’s planning to visit Carlene, Zora defends Howard against Monty’s most recent editorials defaming Howard’s character. Zora asks to use the car for a poetry event with Claire’s class. Kiki doesn’t make Zora feel bad about taking a class with Claire, but Zora implies Kiki has a problem with it. Kiki recalls the handsome young man from the Mozart concert because he goes to the same poetry events Claire often hosts. Levi enters the kitchen after a night away with his friends. He tells his mother he’ll go out again to the Bus Stop—the same poetry event Zora is attending.

Kiki and Howard run into each other in the house. They’ve avoided one another, but now they get into an argument. Howard wants to talk openly about their relationship, and Kiki wants a resolution to present to their children. Kiki asks him why he slept with Claire of all people, but Howard avoids this conversation. Kiki fixates on Claire’s whiteness and declares that she spent her adult life surrounded by white people out of love for Howard, who doesn’t respect what she sacrificed for him. Howard admits that physically, Kiki has changed a lot since he married her, and further admits that it’s true that men respond to beauty.

In arriving to the poetry event at the Bus Stop, Zora is self-conscious about herself. She knows that other people see her as an intellectual personality, but Zora also knows that she doesn’t really have her own opinions. She is put slightly at ease when she runs into classmates who mock Claire with Zora.

The Bus Stop is a restaurant turned into a club space for special, small events. The spoken word poetry events drew in a diverse crowd, which is why Claire brings her students. Claire is popular among the poets and her students for supporting all their forms of expression. Zora and Claire accidentally end up sitting at the same booth together. Claire asks the students at the table how they think the class is going so far. Zora calls her intimidating. Another student clarifies that Claire’s youthful success as a poet is intimidating. Claire discusses her emphasis on the land, but pastoral romanticism doesn’t interest her students. Zora suspects that Claire is not intellectual. Levi stops by the table to say hello. Unlike his other siblings, he holds no ill will towards Claire and even empathizes with his father’s desire to have an affair.

The first few spoken word poems at the event are not very good, and Claire’s students quickly lose interest. The rappers take the stage, changing the energy of the room. Claire watches Zora and notices how much she looks like Howard, though she’s getting fat like Kiki. The one good thing that came out Claire’s affair was that she finally found a therapist who is helping her sort through her own inclinations towards self-destruction. Claire was not attracted to Howard, and her marriage to Warren is her first relationship that is truly good. Through therapy, Claire realized that part of her affair with Howard was motivated by her self-consciousness of her own relationship; despite Howard and Kiki’s differences, they were the picture of a successful marriage, and Claire wanted to prove that an academic like Howard couldn’t have a successful marriage. “As Dr Byford explained, she was really the victim of a vicious, peculiarly female psychological disorder: she felt one thing and did another. She was a stranger to herself” (226). Actually, Claire likes Kiki. She remembers when Howard first started dating Kiki when Kiki was a nursing student. Kiki wasn’t academic, but she was beautiful and exuded a confident power.

Levi takes the stage with a large group of friends. They unsuccessfully perform a rap in Creole. Claire excuses herself for a cigarette break and Zora follows her. Claire asks Zora if they’re okay, and Zora says she’s an adult who can compartmentalize. They’re interrupted by a student who eagerly ushers them back inside to watch an incredible act. Zora is thrilled to see that the rapper who is inspiring the crowd is Carl. Zora shouts out that she knows him. When he’s finished with his set, Carl triumphantly walks up to Zora and kisses her. Claire asks him to talk with her about joining her poetry class.

Zora leaves a used bookstore and unexpectedly runs into Jerome, who gets off the bus in front of the store, home for Thanksgiving break. They hug and are joined by Levi, who has also serendipitously run into his siblings. Jerome calls Kiki to tell her about the miraculous coincidence. Kiki asks why Levi isn’t in school, so they pretend that the phone call is breaking up.

They go to a café to catch up and enjoy each other’s company. Jerome reflects on his deep love for his siblings and “did not consider if or how or why he loved them. They were just love: they were the first evidence he ever had of love, and they would be the last confirmation of love when everything else fell away” (236). Jerome accuses their father of being incapable of appreciating the gift of living. Zora tells them about Carl joining her poetry class. She encourages Jerome to befriend him, but Levi dismisses him as a rapper who only impresses white people. Chagrined, Zora changes the subject to Kiki. She tells Jerome that Kiki's been getting out more and has developed a surprising friendship with Carlene Kipps. She reports that Mike is engaged, and that Howard is trying to cancel Monty’s scheduled lectures. Jerome asks about Victoria and Zora derides her for being vain; Zora resents her presence in Howard’s class. Jerome assures them that he’s no longer in love with Victoria.

Levi excuses himself, pretending he must get back to school. Levi joins the group of boys from the Bus Stop. They’re a small gang that sell fake designer handbags. Levi convinced them to let him join in his own effort to fulfill his desire to be a hustler. The other boys put up with Levi because, “The reflection of themselves in Levi’s eyes was, after all, a more than welcome replacement for their own realities. Who wouldn’t rather be a gangsta than a street-hawker? Who wouldn’t rather hustle than sell?” (245). Levi hawks the bags with Choo, who believes that Levi is from Roxbury, not Wellington, even though none of the other boys have seen him in their neighborhoods.

Katie Armstrong is 16 years old, one of the youngest students at Wellington. She grew up poor in Indiana, but her parents support her decision to study liberal arts on a full scholarship. Katie is unsure if she will major in English or in Art History. By nature, Katie is nervous, so Professor Belsey’s seventeenth century art class stresses her out; she has a hard time following along, even though she loves Rembrandt. During a session, Dr. Belsey asks the students to provide insight on light in a painting. Katie tries to summon her courage to participate but withdraws when Victoria, a student named Mike, and Dr. Belsey’s daughter dive in with their ideas.

As class dismisses, Howard’s teaching assistant Christian tries to talk to him about the rescheduled faculty meeting on free speech, but Howard is distracted by Victoria’s beauty. He notices that Kathy stays back, trying to ask him a question, but he leaves and runs into Victoria who is admiring the New England snow and waiting to speak with him. Victoria is part of a college society and invites Howard to be one of the three professors she must invite to a special dinner event. Howard agrees to attend the event, which is on the same day as the free speech faculty meeting.

Claire loves her poetry class and is a good teacher; she always finds a way to both push and celebrate her students. Carl is finally getting into the swing of the class, since “Large sections of Carl’s personality had been constructed on the founding principle that classrooms were not for Carl” (259). Claire shows him how his rap parallels the poetic form. Because Carl isn’t a student at Wellington, he doesn’t need to worry about how well he’s doing in the class. Instead, Carl is reestablishing his relationship with classrooms as a space of pure learning.

Claire asks Zora for a favor. At the big faculty meeting after the Christmas holiday, one of the items on the agenda (along with free speech) is Claire’s inclusion of non-enrolled people in her class. Zora passionately agrees with Claire that education should be for everyone and agrees to speak at the meeting on Claire’s behalf to advocate for students like Carl.

Wellington breaks for Christmas holiday and Kiki goes shopping with Carlene. The Belseys are considering going to London for the holiday. Howard doesn’t like Christmas and has never allowed it to be celebrated in the house. In the Belsey home, the kids get presents at the New Year, but no Christmas, no matter how odd his stance is. Carlene invites Kiki to go to Amherst with her that day, to see Hopper paintings in her friend’s house. Kiki wants to but thinks that a trip to Amherst needs to be more planned in advance. Kiki’s rejection of the plan annoys Carlene. When the women return home, Kiki is embarrassed that she said no to the plan; there was nothing wrong with it and it was generous and feasible. Kiki goes to Carlene’s house to ask her for a second chance, but Carlene has already left for Amherst. Kiki catches up with her at the train station. Carlene is delighted Kiki has changed her mind, but the women are interrupted by Carlene’s family, arriving earlier than expected from their trip to New York.