Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in With the Fire on High, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age and Teen Parenthood
Creativity vs. Professional Norms
Food and Connection
Caregiving, Independence, and Identity
Support, Community, and Mentorship
Summary
Analysis
As soon as Emoni gets home that afternoon, she scoops up Babygirl and settles her on her hip. Babygirl snuggles into Emoni’s neck. Out of nowhere, Babygirl says, “Chugga, chugga, choo-choo train!”, and ’Buela explains that she was very interested in a train book at daycare. As Babygirl babbles, Emoni asks ’Buela if she’s going to be late for her doctor’s appointment and what the appointment is for. ’Buela just says it got pushed back a bit, and Emoni doesn’t pry further. ’Buela then reminds Emoni that she’s at Bingo tonight, so Emoni will have to put Babygirl to bed herself.
It’s worth noting that at daycare, Babygirl is getting new experiences that Emoni and ’Buela can’t provide at home. Emoni gets much the same kind of experience as she goes to high school and spends the day with her friends, learning things. And if Babygirl is encouraged to get so excited about a train book, the passage implies, why shouldn’t Emoni be able to get excited about a cooking class?
Themes
’Buela asks Emoni about school and what Emoni is going to make for dinner. Emoni sets Babygirl up watching PBS, peruses the fridge, and begins pulling out ingredients. She mentions there are new electives this year and one of them is a cooking class, but she’ll probably stick with study hall. ’Buela takes over chopping an onion and asks if Emoni wants to take the class. Emoni mentions that it includes a trip to Spain, and ’Buela observes that Emoni wanted to go to culinary school but it’s “a little late for that now.” Emoni’s not sure what she means by this. ’Buela asks if the school will make students pay for the trip and then, with a smile, says they can revisit this later.
Like Emoni, ’Buela seems pretty practical. Saying that it’s “a little late” for Emoni to go to culinary school suggests that ’Buela thinks Emoni should perhaps stick to cooking as a hobby; still she’s also not writing the class off entirely. Rather, it’s something that she and Emoni will have to discuss—which means that she may actually agree with Angelica and encourage Emoni to take the class. Helping Emoni cook is another way ’Buela shows her granddaughter her support.
Themes
