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10. Chefdom
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
The next day, Ms. Fuentes introduces Malachi Johnson to the Advisory class. He’s from Newark. The guys all slouch or crack their knuckles, while the girls—aside from Emoni—straighten up. She’s not interested in him, but he’s cute enough to steal someone’s heart. Emoni is convinced he’s an unintelligent sporty guy until he speaks and sounds like a total nerd. Once he’s taken his seat, Ms. Fuentes tells the class to work on their college essay prompts while she chats individually with students about electives.
As Emoni sees it, she definitely doesn’t have time to think about boys when she has so much else on her plate. So even as Malachi starts to look more attractive (since he’s nerdy, not unintelligent, and sporty), Emoni remains aloof. Ms. Fuentes’s desire to talk to every student about electives suggests that she prioritizes getting her students what they need and want out of high school.
Themes
Emoni can’t decide whether to write about having Babygirl, being raised by her grandmother, or her love of cooking. The essay is supposed to be “compelling,” but how is Emoni supposed to know what college admissions counselors will find compelling? Ms. Fuentes sneaks up behind Emoni and jolts her out of her thoughts by saying she’s thrilled Emoni has decided to take the culinary arts class. The travel portion will be an amazing opportunity. Not wanting to share that she’s already worried about the cost, Emoni says she hopes the class will be great and asks which essay topic she should choose. Ms. Fuentes tells her to choose the one that scares her the most, as making scary choices is what makes life compelling. Emoni is pretty sure that advice has nothing to do with the essay.
Though Emoni has lots of good essay topics to choose from and is trying to take the essay seriously, she also seems to wonder if an essay about Babygirl isn’t going to sway admissions officers. After all, Emoni has encountered other adults who find having a baby as a teen shameful rather than a point of pride. Keep in mind that Emoni hides that she’s worried about the costs associated with the cooking class. This reflects Emoni’s pride and independence, but it also means that she’s not able to ask for help early. Ms. Fuentes’s advice to make the scariest choice suggests that, at least as Ms. Fuentes sees it, Emoni is right to take the class: it scares her, after all.
Themes
