Previous
78. Blood Boil
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
’Buela usually makes a big fuss out of Christmas Eve, while Emoni usually goes to Angelica’s on Christmas Day. Since Babygirl is over her cold, Emoni lets her observe both traditions. Angelica gives Emoni a beautiful dress that makes Emoni feel like an adult, while Emoni gives Angelica a box of handmade macarons. On Christmas morning, Malachi calls Emoni to sing carols for her. Emoni and ‘Buela are finally able to put aside their argument, at least a little bit.
As is traditionally the case, the Christmas holidays allow Emoni to connect more deeply with her family and friends. Food plays a big role in this: the macarons allow Emoni to show Angelica how much she cares and supports her friend. The dress Angelica gives Emoni, on the other hand, signals that Emoni is growing older—she’s beginning to look more like the adult that she’s ostensibly been since Babygirl’s birth.
Themes
For New Year’s Eve, Emoni makes Aunt Sarah’s black-eyed peas recipe, but with a twist: she simmers them in grapes, since both the peas (according to Aunt Sarah) and grapes (according to ’Buela) are supposed to bring good luck. Emoni spends the rest of the break working and applying for colleges. But the more she thinks about it, the more she thinks she doesn’t even want to attend Drexel for its culinary arts program. She’d rather just go to work and learn on the job.
The holidays show Emoni that perhaps she doesn’t need to seek a formal education to make magic with food. Food already allows her to connect different parts of her family history and carve out a spot for herself in her family, and she’s seen time and again how her talent allows her to help other people connect to their pasts. So, keeping in mind the financial strain that college would put on her family, Emoni reasons that she can pursue a career without a formal education.
Themes
