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50. Netflix, No Chill
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
Just as ’Buela is on her way out the door for church the next morning, Emoni’s phone rings. Emoni is busy washing dishes, so ’Buela answers it. It’s Tyrone. Emoni dries her hands and takes the phone. He asks what Emoni is doing bringing other guys around Babygirl. Emoni is enraged—this is none of his business—but she says that Babygirl didn’t meet Malachi. Tyrone accuses her of being the guy’s “side piece,” but Emoni reiterates that Babygirl was asleep. When Tyrone asks to speak to ’Buela to verify, Emoni refuses. Tyrone sees all sorts of girls, and neither of them is a kid. He hangs up on her. ’Buela suggests that Emoni gets dressed; they can go for breakfast. Emoni tries not to cry.
Though Emoni is angry with Tyrone, she maturely tries to maintain her composure and respond logically rather than emotionally. The same cannot be said for Tyrone—he seems to jealously want to control not just who his daughter sees, but who Emoni sees, too. Emoni asserts her independence when she refuses to put ’Buela on the phone; she realizes that giving in to Tyrone’s controlling behavior will only show him that he can continue acting this way. Despite how maturely Emoni handles this conversation, it’s still nice for her when ’Buela steps in to help her feel better afterward, like one might do for a much younger kid.
Themes
