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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
Emoni was “that girl” girls’ moms warn them not to befriend—or become. She was heavily pregnant by the end of her freshman year; Babygirl was born in August. Emoni’s body certainly changed, but the biggest changes she experienced as a pregnant teen had nothing to do with her body. ’Buela had to take on more sewing jobs, old men started shaking their heads, and younger men would leer at her on the train but not give up their seats.
Emoni implies that growing a baby and developing a belly weren’t nearly as traumatic or difficult as the burden she ended up placing on ’Buela, or the way that people started treating her. She was suddenly unable to ignore that she’d ended up in a situation that most people looked down on.
Themes
When it first came out that Emoni was pregnant, Principal Holderness called a meeting with the guidance counselor, ’Buela, and Ms. Fuentes. Principal Holderness wanted Emoni to transfer to an alternative school for pregnant teens. But Ms. Fuentes and ‘Buela had clearly conferred beforehand, and they fought to keep Emoni at Schomburg Charter. Emoni realized they were trying to let her be a “regular kid” as long as they could. Suddenly, petite Emoni was “a bloated teen warning” who took up too much space.
By keeping Emoni at Schomburg Charter, ’Buela and Ms. Fuentes show that they understand Emoni is just a kid and should be treated as such. The fact that she was pregnant was just one aspect of her identity—and as her guardian and support network, it was going to be their job to make sure she enjoyed as normal a life as possible, given the circumstances.
Themes
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