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55. New Beginnings
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
None of the other students seem surprised to see Emoni back in class, but Malachi smiles and Pretty Leslie looks angry. Malachi and Emoni texted a bit on Saturday, but Tyrone’s call destroyed some of the magic. Chef Ayden tells Emoni to work with Richard and Amanda rather than by herself, and then he hands out the recipe. Emoni spends the class cutting and sauteing root vegetables at Amanda and Richard’s request. She’s shocked when, at the end, the dish looks beautiful and tasty (though she would’ve changed the recipe a bit). Chef Ayden praises the group when he tastes the dish, and in the hallway, Malachi catches up to Emoni to say he’s glad she’s back. She’s glad, too.
By insisting that Emoni work with Richard and Amanda, Chef Ayden forces Emoni to set aside her independent inclinations and work with others. This might be a huge ask of Emoni, but she’s clearly taking it seriously—she has a lot of the cooking skills already, so most of what she’s learning in class is how to take direction from others and support someone else’s vision. And happily, Emoni finds the experience very satisfying, suggesting that she’ll continue to attend class and learn.
Themes
