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101. Settled
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
Part of Emoni is afraid to trust Malachi, because Tyrone was like this too. Tyrone complimented Emoni, walked her home, and took her on dates. But he didn’t defend Emoni to his parents when they demanded a paternity test, and he didn’t argue when she found out he was cheating. He insisted that she was “as big as a house,” so what was he supposed to do? Tyrone refuses to use his words. Had he said he didn’t want to be together, Emoni would’ve respected that. But instead, he accused Emoni of being irrational and had no reaction when she broke up with him. Still, he suggests they work it out every few months. So Emoni knows now that guys are different people when they’re flirting than they are when things get rough or they find someone new. She’s afraid of getting hurt again.
The fact that Emoni’s inner monologue leaps to considering boy problems (rather than focusing on Leslie’s drunken outburst) makes it clear that Emoni doesn’t see helping Leslie as a big deal. Rather, her big issue now is figuring out how to move forward with Malachi when he upends all her expectations about what a boy is like when he’s in a relationship. Tyrone, unlike Malachi, wasn’t able to express himself well—when he wanted something, he insulted Emoni rather than stating his desires plainly. So, Emoni is navigating totally new territory with Malachi.
Themes
