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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
At Chef Amadí’s restaurant the next day, the chef instructs Emoni to “listen” to the herbs and clip a bundle of herbs. Emoni is pretty sure the herbs aren’t talking, but she instinctively knows what she wants. When Emoni is done cutting, Chef Amadí asks what they should serve with rabbit. Emoni suggests mushroom harissa rice.
Though Emoni might object to Chef Amadí’s language, the two women clearly think about food in much the same way: they let the flavors lead the way and guide the rest of the dish. This gives Emoni more insight into how some chefs may think more like her, but that few—if any—chefs will approach food exactly the same.
Themes
Later, Emoni tells Pretty Leslie about her day (she needs to talk to someone about it, since her call to ’Buela and Babygirl focused on Babygirl and cooled Emoni’s excitement). Leslie is busy parting her hair crookedly, but she says that Chef Amadí must be a “crackhead” and should be teaching Emoni the basics. These days, Emoni thinks Pretty Leslie talks like this to everyone, not just her. So she asks if Leslie wants to be a chef. It takes a minute for Leslie to respond, but she says that she’ll be the first person in her family to graduate. Her home life isn’t great, and she just wants to do something “major” that reminds people she was here. Emoni thinks Malachi was right that Leslie is more than she seems. Emoni feels the same way.
In some respects, Emoni seems a bit unwilling to tell ’Buela all about the amazing things she’s getting to do in Spain. On some level, she seems to want to focus on Babygirl on the calls to feel involved in her daughter’s life. Back in the bedroom, Emoni and Pretty Leslie begin to connect a little bit. Though Leslie remains rude and standoffish, Emoni also realizes that Leslie is someone she can empathize with: they both want to leave their mark on the world.
Themes
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