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63.
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
It’s been two weeks since Emoni submitted the fundraising proposal, and her schedule now takes over her life. She gets up an hour and a half early and spends several mornings per week going to school early to cook. The students are only supposed to go early one day per week, but Emoni fills in for whoever can’t make it. The school restaurant is full every day, and they’re raising about $700 per week. Still, Emoni knows they need to raise a bunch of money at the Winter Dinner. Emoni is also still working at the Burger Joint, getting math tutoring, and spending all her free time with Babygirl. Soon, it’s the middle of November. Soon, Emoni will find out whether her class can go to Spain—and whether her ideas matter.
Though Emoni is exhausted, she also seems to find it satisfying to have so much on her plate that she genuinely loves and cares about. With this, the novel suggests that Emoni doesn’t necessarily need to prioritize Babygirl over everything else; she can, in fact, do things she loves too. In addition to raising money for Spain, Emoni is also getting valuable experience working in the school restaurant. This will prepare her to hopefully work in a professional restaurant later.
Themes
