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84. Arrival
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
The bus to Sevilla is tiny. Chef Ayden sits near the driver and begins speaking to him in Spanish. Malachi asks Emoni what Chef is saying. Emoni deadpans that it’s something about a black market and Liam Neeson rescuing them. As Malachi naps, Emoni studies the scenery. She falls asleep, too, and wakes when they reach Sevilla. Pretty Leslie comments on “Gypsies” on the sidewalk, and Malachi says loud enough for everyone to hear that calling them “Gypsies” isn’t okay anymore. Finally, the bus stops in a parking lot. Chef explains that the students will be staying with host families. They’ll spend mornings on tours and afternoons apprenticing in local eateries. They’ll be staying in pairs—and Pretty Leslie and Emoni are roommates.
“Gypsy” is now considered a slur, given how much discrimination and cruelty Roma people have suffered in Europe. Using this slur unwittingly makes Pretty Leslie looks somewhat provincial—and like an even less desirable roommate for Emoni than she did already. Recall that Pretty Leslie has previously tried to sabotage Emoni’s romantic prospects with Malachi. Chef Ayden has seemed fairly oblivious to his charges’ interpersonal dealings, so he may simply be unaware of the bad blood between Emoni and Pretty Leslie.
Themes
