Previous
24. Tantrums and Terrible Twos
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
For all his faults, Emoni has always appreciated that Julio loved to read to her—though he didn’t believe in children’s books and read mostly nonfiction to her. Every July, Julio arrives with his barbering supplies to work in the mornings and attend events in the afternoons. This last summer, he helped out a lot with Babygirl, and Emoni saw what kind of a dad he might’ve been had Emoni’s mom lived. But then, as he does every year, Julio suddenly returned to Puerto Rico at the beginning of August without saying goodbye. Babygirl was distraught. A week later, he called and asked for Angelica’s Netflix password. After so many years, Emoni has learned not to give Julio too much space in her heart. She knows if she does, he’ll leave a gaping hole “where a parent should be.”
Though Julio has never been particularly present, Emoni continues to try not to hold that against him. Instead, she focuses on what he has given her: a love of reading, and a good summer with Babygirl this last year. Still, Emoni can’t ignore that she feels as though her dad is betraying her time and again when he runs away—and this last time, when he runs away from Babygirl, as well. It seems like seeing Julio hurt Babygirl in this way makes his betrayal even more painful for Emoni, since it doesn’t just hurt her anymore—it’s also hurting her daughter, someone she loves and never wants to see in pain.
Themes
