111 pages • 3 hours read
Sharon M. DraperFire from the Rock
Fiction | Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
Fire
The epigraph at the start of the novel is made up of two verses from the Bible that both include a reference to fire. The first one is from Judges 6:21: “Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the bread” (4). The second reference is from Jeremiah 23:29: “Is not My word like fire and like a hammer that smashes rock?” (4). An epigraph is designed to provide a clue about the themes in the story ahead. Fire is wondrous and awesome but also deadly and destructive. Fire destroys and cleanses and signals the possibility of rebirth and renewal, as in the Black and white members of the community coming together to help the Zuckers rebuild. Out of the ashes of struggle and devastation arise new possibilities and hope for a new world.
Just as a reference to fire precedes the story, a reference to fire also ends the story: “I’m ready for the fire next time it comes my way” (223). Sylvia refers to fire as a symbol of the struggles and challenges ahead, especially if the white people don’t change their racist ways. The phrase “the fire next time” is an allusion to James Baldwin’s collection of essays published under the same name. The essays feature his thoughts on race, religion, and the struggles of being Black in America.
Music
Music serves as a universal symbol of the teenage years, and the 1950s saw the birth of the “teen age” as its own unique, developmental time complete with the birth of rock and roll and Motown. Teenagers consumed the music of both Black and white artists, including some crossover examples. Music symbolized cultural expression, peace, and possibility. Sylvia listens to music, covets a record player, and looks for representation and affirmation among the talented young Black artists in her world.
The Younger Generation Versus the Old
Throughout the novel, there is a recurring motif about the difference between adults and kids. Gary tells his father that his generation sits around and waits for change to happen. Rachel, DJ, and Sylvia make explicit comments about how relations between the races would be better if the adults just left it up to the kids to work it out: “You know, I think if they just left us alone, the kids would be fine. It’s the grown-ups who are protesting and acting like idiots” (220). Rachel echoes similar sentiments shared by DJ and Sylvia. The three young people are convinced that their generation will bring about the needed changes and successfully combat racism. Sylvia makes this clear in her interview with school board. DJ fully expects adults to break apart her school and make her go to school with white kids. In the end, it is definitely the young people who succeed in integrating the schools, despite the state governor, armed military soldiers, and angry local mobs trying to prevent change from coming to Little Rock.
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By Sharon M. Draper
