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99. Cozy
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
Before Emoni can respond to Malachi, Richard, Amanda, and Pretty Leslie wander over to join them. Pretty Leslie and Richard are both drinking, and Richard tells Malachi to get Emoni a drink. He adds that they’re celebrating college admissions—but Leslie adds that she’s mourning rejections. Malachi agrees that they should celebrate Richard’s acceptance to Penn State, and Emoni asks him to get her some juice. She doesn’t want to get in trouble for drinking abroad. Cursing heavily, Pretty Leslie tells Emoni to drink alcohol. When Emoni asks if Leslie is okay, Leslie insists she’s fine. Amanda passes Emoni her glass; she whispers that it’s just water because she has to start her bakery apprenticeship at four a.m.
Who Emoni’s friends are comes to the forefront in this passage. Richard is trying to be nice, Amanda is actually being nice and listening to what Emoni wants, and Pretty Leslie seems to be having a hard time and is taking it out on Emoni. Emoni seems fully aware that Pretty Leslie’s anger and rudeness isn’t about Emoni, which is why Emoni asks Leslie if Leslie is okay. Even if Leslie is being mean, Emoni doesn’t want to see one of her classmates suffer.
Themes
Malachi returns from the bar and hands Emoni a dark drink garnished with cherry and lime. It’s clearly nonalcoholic. Amanda, who’s oblivious to everything, asks Emoni and Malachi what they’re doing here. After Emoni explains that they were just walking around, Pretty Leslie finishes her own drink and then snatches Emoni’s away. She deems it nonalcoholic, accuses Emoni of being “so fucking good,” and passes it to Richard to taste. He admits he’s too drunk to be able to tell if it’s alcoholic. Pretty Leslie asks Emoni if she doesn’t want to get in trouble with Chef Ayden and promises not to tell Chef that Emoni and Malachi are having sex. Malachi tells Leslie to stop. She stands to leave—and vomits. The bartender shouts for the American students to get out, so Emoni grabs Pretty Leslie to help her.
Again, though Pretty Leslie is angry lashing out at Emoni, it seems likely she’s doing this because she’s hurting (and the alcohol has lowered her inhibitions, making her less able to police her own behavior). But the insults Pretty Leslie hurls at Emoni reveal how Leslie (and perhaps others) see Emoni: as an almost obnoxiously good person and student. This, of course, is pretty opposite how Emoni sees herself. Emoni thinks of herself as lost and struggling, and she’s admitted most academic subjects aren’t her strong suit. Her outward identity, in this case, doesn’t match how she feels inside.
Themes
