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109. Surprises
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
Emoni isn’t sure she’ll be fine, but she reminds herself that everything changes. She calls Julio before bed and tells him about her trip to Spain. Then she says she got into Drexel. For a minute she thinks the call dropped—and then Julio is crying. He never cries, even when Emoni stopped calling him Papi. He seems to pick up on Emoni’s hesitation, because he asks if she doesn’t want to go to college. Thinking before she speaks, Emoni considers how even though Julio believes in education, he’d also support Emoni if she just wanted to work. Thinking of his sniffles, she says she’s just nervous about all the changes. Julio mentions that ’Buela has the new boyfriend, too, and Emoni is stunned. He says she’ll figure it out.
Note how little Emoni seems to agonize over calling Julio this time. Something has shifted in her relationship with him; perhaps she sees him as more of an ally now than she did earlier in the novel. In any case, she seems far more interested in protecting his emotions as she doesn’t say that she’s considering turning down Drexel and working instead. His tears, his support, and his knowledge that ’Buela is dating helps Emoni see him as a supportive, if flawed, adult in her life.
Themes
