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36. Julio, oh Julio
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
In Advisory, Emoni nods at Malachi. ’Buela’s reaction to Emoni getting home late reminded Emoni that she doesn’t have time to flirt, so Emoni focuses on the questionnaire Ms. Fuentes handed out. When Ms. Fuentes comes to Emoni to ask about Emoni’s college plans, Emoni notes that the guidance counselor isn’t convinced Emoni’s grades are good enough to get in anywhere. She’s thinking about getting a job instead. Ms. Fuentes asks if this is about Emma, which is partly true. But Emoni says she wants to be able to care for Babygirl herself so ’Buela doesn’t have to. She just wants to study culinary arts, and maybe it’s better to learn on the job than spend money on school.
As far as Emoni is concerned, she has to keep her priorities straight—and her first priority, she believes, should be Babygirl. Thus, she can’t justify flirting or even just being friends with Malachi, and college looks less important when cooking is a field where one can reasonably expect to learn on the job and work their way up. Notice, too, that Emoni seems aware that she can’t rely on ’Buela forever. She needs to become independent at some point, if only so ’Buela doesn’t end up singlehandedly raising three generations of kids.
Themes
Ms. Fuentes clearly doesn’t like this answer. She says it’ll be better if Emoni has a college degree, because then she’ll have options if cooking doesn’t work out. Emoni tries hard not to visibly react, but she says college isn’t the only way to make something of herself. Ms. Fuentes is young and is usually pretty hip and with it, but she’s not a parent and isn’t trying to keep her grandma from having to spend her entire life raising kids. She doesn’t get it. Emoni doesn’t say that she’d rather save to send Babygirl to college than go herself, or that her own hopes and dreams seem so unattainable that it doesn’t seem worth it to try.
As Ms. Fuentes pushes for Emoni to think more seriously about college, she begins to alienate Emoni. This causes Emoni’s support network to shrink, as now Ms. Fuentes seems less equipped to help support Emoni as Emoni plans her future. Emoni also sadly realizes that since Ms. Fuentes isn’t a parent, she doesn’t fully grasp the fact that Babygirl truly is Emoni’s first priority. Getting Babygirl a good education is more important now to Emoni, and to make sure that happens, Emoni has to make money.
Themes
