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70. Hook, Line, and Sinker
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 has always suspected Malachi was interested in her. She believes his actions; after Tyrone, she’d never believe a guy who just tells her he’s interested. She has no idea what to do about Disney On Ice, but she invites Angelica and Laura as she and Angelica ride the bus that afternoon. Angelica accepts. She follows Emoni home; she’s going to take a bag of clothes to sell for Emoni. Hopefully the proceeds will help. After digging through the clothes, Angelica asks if this is a double date. She’s impressed when Emoni says Malachi invited Babygirl and ’Buela, too. When Emoni says that Angelica “knows how [she is] with boys,” Angelica says Emoni’s just afraid of getting hurt and doesn’t think she can take the time to date.
Angelica has been pretty willing to give Malachi the benefit of the doubt from the beginning. Now, though, her task is to assure Emoni that spending time with Malachi isn’t going to ruin Emoni’s life—if Emoni trusts him, she can enter into a relationship with him, if she wants. Angelica also notes that Emoni allows her responsibilities to get in the way of doing the things she wants to do, whether that’s dating or taking the culinary arts class. And perhaps, Angelica seems to imply, Emoni doesn’t need to let this happen.
Themes
As Emoni and Angelica fold and bag the clothes, Emoni argues that she truly doesn’t have time. But at the door, Angelica suggests that maybe, Emoni shouldn’t worry about having time. Maybe she should do what makes her happy and comfortable. A relationship with Malachi could look however Emoni wants it to look, and Emoni is already good at making “ingredients that shouldn’t work” delicious.
Encouraging Emoni to see a relationship with Malachi as just a new way of combining “ingredients that shouldn’t work” is an attempt to get Emoni to see that dating Malachi wouldn’t be an awful thing. Further, Angelica explicitly says that Emoni shouldn’t allow her other responsibilities to entirely get in the way of having fun—Emoni can have nice things, even if she is a busy mom.
Themes
