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11. The New Guy
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
Tyrone has always been a “pretty boy.” Emoni met Tyrone her freshman year at a party. He used “pretty words” and took Emoni downtown on their first date. To this day, Emoni can’t say why she chose Tyrone. Maybe she never expected him to pick her—she was skinny, not curvy. But it seemed like everyone was having sex, and Emoni thought, why not? And why not Tyrone? He was nice and it was nice to be chosen.
Emoni looks back on her younger self with sympathy. She desperately wanted to be wanted, and she chose to have sex with Tyrone more because of that than because she genuinely wanted sex. Sharing the story of how she became a teen parent helps readers understand how much Emoni has grown in the ensuing years: she went from making choices because “why not” to carefully considering all her options.
Themes
On the day Emoni lost her virginity, she and Tyrone went to his house. Sex was more technical than Emoni expected—and it hurt. It was over so fast, and Emoni was so disappointed. Tyrone wasn’t nice or sweet when she needed him to be, so she put on her pants and left. That afternoon, Emoni fried plantain and ate so much she felt sick. Whenever she eats fried plantain now, she cries and feels pain between her legs. Since Tyrone, Emoni has stopped talking to boys like him. She knows now they’ll say whatever it takes to get what they want.
Sex wasn’t the emotional experience Emoni hoped it would be, and it didn’t make her feel loved or wanted, either. That fried plantain brings up tears and physical pain for Emoni highlights that Emoni’s magic with cooking works even when she’s the one eating the food. The plantain connects her to an earlier, sad time—and it continually reminds her that she shouldn’t trust boys. Whether she’s right or wrong in this regard remains to be seen.
Themes
