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
Angelica bursts in Emoni’s front door with bags of fabric that she got from Laura, who works for her school’s theater. She says that now, they can make Babygirl’s Halloween costume. Emoni reminds Angelica that she won’t even be able to take Babygirl trick-or-treating since she works on Halloween, but Angelica insists that she and ’Buela will figure something out. ’Buela walks into the room, and when Angelica says it’s time to work on Babygirl’s costume, ’Buela offers to take measurements. The women discuss what Babygirl should be, and Emoni suggests that she be a chef. Babygirl smiles like she knows “she has a coven of women holding her down.”
Just as Emoni and her Culinary Arts classmates work together to make delicious food, Emoni, Angelica, and ’Buela (and Laura, to some degree) rally to support Babygirl and make her Halloween one to remember. As Emoni describes Babygirl’s “coven of women,” she highlights the importance of this community. She knows full well that she can’t raise Babygirl alone—she needs her friends and family members to support her and ease her way.